UnNUKELy Musical
by Soulless Warlock
Summary: It's Nuke as a anthology-musical. Come and check it out, I promise they don't bite. Nuke, Cason, and MaddiexOC.
1. Not While I'm Around

Disclaimer: "I do not own ATWT or this song.

--

Noah watched as Luke slept, he didn't know if it was a good idea for him to even being with the circumstances of Luke's hospitalization. He was still in a state of shock. His father: the man he had loved and admired tried to kill Luke. For no reason other than he thought it would turn his into something he wasn't.

Noah pushed the thoughts of his father out of his mind as he turned his concerns to a sleeping Luke. He moved his chair closer to his bed and gingerly placed his hand on Luke's face. He remembered the look on Luke's face when he found out he would never walk again.

"I am so sorry." Noah whispered to his sleeping boyfriend, "I promise, he is never going to hurt you or anyone else again."

Noah wiped his nose as he looked outside and saw Luke's mother, Lily, standing by the door. He smiled as he thought about what it would be like for him and Luke when Luke was out of the hospital. And the one thing Noah could not stress hard enough was that his father would never touch Luke again.

Noah's ears perked up as he heard music playing. It was a tune he knew from a long time ago. Before his father became someone he didn't even know. Noah began to sing quietly, "_Nothing's gonna harm you, not while I'm around. Nothing's gonna harm you, no sir, not while I'm around. _

His thoughts turned to his father, and what he had done in the recent months, _"Demons are prowling everywhere, nowadays, I'll send 'em howling, I don't care, I got ways."_

Noah's voice grew stronger, singing with the music, _"No one's gonna hurt you, no one's gonna dare. Others can desert you, not to worry, whistle, I'll be there. __Demons'll charm you with a smile, for a while, but in time...Nothing can harm you, not while I'm around..._

_Not to worry, not to worry, I may not be smart but I ain't dumb. I can do it, put me to it, show me something I can overcome. Not to worry, Luke. __Being close and being clever ain't like being true. I didn't need to; I won't never hide a thing from you, like some." _

Noah stopped singing when he felt someone grab his hand. He looked up and saw that Luke was awake.

"You don't have to stop on my account." He said, as Noah blushed at the comment.

"No. I think I've made half of the floor deaf with that." Noah said.

"You sounded fine." Luke said, a smile on his face.

"Hey, it got a smile on your face. It must have been funny." Noah said, smiling.

"You wanna know have to give me a complete smile?" Luke asked.

"Yeah." Noah answered. "How?"

"Finish the song."

"Okay…_ Demons'll charm you with a smile for a while, but in time, nothing's gonna harm you, not while I'm around!"_

Luke smiled at his boyfriend as he squeezed his hand.

Noah looked back and his mouth crooked into a half-smile, "And I meant every word."


	2. Not Me

Disclaimer: I do not own the song, nor do I own ATWT. They belong to Elton John and Tim Rice, and Irna Phillips. I do own Seth and any of his family members save the canon characters he is linked too.

Seth's Back-Story: He is Noah's half-cousin (their fathers have the same mother). Seth's father, Samuel, has lived in Oakdale for over 20 years and has been married to both Barbara Ryan (twice) and Susan Stewart (once), but Seth is not the son of either woman. Seth has one younger brother, Ryan, the son of Samuel and Barbara. Samuel and Ryan will not appear in this story.

Timeline: Set before Noah and Luke officially became a couple. So, somewhere after the kiss and just as he and Maddie are about to move in together.

--

Noah Mayer walked through his favorite part of Old Town, hoping to find a special gift for Maddie, a sort of housewarming gift for his girlfriend and their new apartment. He was only seven feet away from Maddie's favorite store when he was floored by a flying figure being tossed out of the store. Noah shook off the sudden shock of someone crashing into him.

Noah opened his eyes and saw his cousin, Seth, lying on top of him, smiling at Noah.

"Hey, Noah!" Seth shouted, his voice ringing in the Noah's ears.

"Hey, Seth." Noah greeted, trying to shake off the ringing sound in his ears.

Noah shoved Seth off of his body and pulled himself to his feet while Seth, in his usual dramatic fashion, kipped up in a manner similar to the WWE's Shawn Michaels.

"What're you doing down here?" Seth asked his cousin.

"I would ask you the same question," Noah retorted, "And why were you thrown out like that?"

"Well, it turns out," Seth started, "Offering to gladly pay them Tuesday for a video today doesn't work."

"Yeah," Noah replied, trying to get into the store before Seth could ask him about the 'incident' that the flighty Spencer had walked in on a week or so ago.

"Before you go I wanted to talk about something," Seth shouted.

'Crap!' Noah thought, turning back to the boy, "There is nothing to talk about. It was a mistake."

"No, a mistake is pulling back before you get totally into it," Seth corrected, "What you were doing was full-on mackin'."

"Oh my God!" Noah groaned, backing into the store before Seth sprang again.

"Are you gay, Noah?" He asked bluntly, "Because if you are than I can't help you hurt Maddie like this."

"I am not gay!" Noah shouted, "And you're really one to talk, you've kissed random strangers how many times?"

"46 and counting," Seth replied, "But this isn't about me, it's about you and the fact that *you* are using one of my friends to hide from the truth."

"I am not gay," Noah repeated, "And I am using Maddie. I love her…"

"You are hardly know her," Seth argued.

"And you do?" Noah shot back.

"Yes, I do," Seth said, his normally chipper demeanor becoming serious, "She's smart, and funny, and beautiful. She's the kind of girl that you can spend the rest of your life with. But, you're not going too."

"Seth, please get out of my and stop asking me about my private life," Noah advised, "It is none of your business."

"Noah, don't think you can lie to me," Seth shouted as Noah pushed him out of the way and entered the store, "I saw "Making Love"! I know the score!"

Noah closed the door, mumbling to himself, "Idiot!"

The young man walked through the store, which had rows and rows of old movies. He picked up one, _The Children's Hour_, and his mind immediately jumped to Luke. This movie's plot was something his friend had to live every day, ostracism for his sexual orientation…

'What am I doing?' Noah thought to himself (A/N: But is there any other way?)

Noah put the movie back onto the rack and walked toward another section, spotting _The Invisible Man._

"Luke would love that." He said out loud, not noticing Seth behind one of the racks.

Noah slammed his hand into the rack, screaming in pain when he realized the pointy edges hurt a lot. His cry was cut off by the sound of music playing outside. Noah's gaze spotted the infamous musical group, The Band, standing outside of the store, playing the music. And then, through no fault of his own, Noah started to sing,

Noah: _I once knew all the answers, I stood on certain ground. A picture of true happiness, a confidence so effortless, no brighter could be found. _

Seth stood and sang of his own apprehensions,

Seth: _Oh no! _

Noah turned around, but Seth had already ducked out of the way.

Noah: _I never asked the questions that trouble me today. _

He spotted_ Breakfast at Tiffany's, _one of Maddie's favorite movies, and pulled it off the rack, in the back of his mind hoping Luke would wanna watch it with them. He quickly shook off his train of thought, paying for the movie and leaving the store,

Noah: _I knew all there was to know, love worn lightly, put on show, my conquests on display! _

Seth had now climbed on the top of the rack, so his cousin couldn't find him,

Seth: _I can't believe he's changing. _

Noah opened the door and asked The Band,

Noah: _And who'd have thought that confidence could die? _

Seth followed after Noah, singing as he did

Seth: _Oh, no!_

Noah: _Not me! _

Seth: _Not me! _

Noah: _Not me!_

Seth: _Not me!_

Noah stopped to think about everything his father had ever taught him about values and morals, how homosexuality was a front against God and tradition,

Noah: _That all I took for granted was a lie…_

Seth, meanwhile, had followed Noah, realizing he had been right about his younger cousin,

Seth: _Oh no! _

Noah turned to try and find Seth again, only to find nothing,

Noah: _Not me!_

Seth: _Not me!_

Noah: _Not me! _

Seth: _Not me! _

Noah sat down and took out his cell phone, hoping to get a hold of Maddie before she and Luke entered the place where reception goes to die: The Movie Theater,

Noah: _And who'd have guessed, I'd throw my world away, to be with someone I'm afraid will say "Not me!" _

Seth could tell from afar that there was something eating away at Noah and he had a good feeling that it was something that could hurt a lot of people,

Seth: _This can never be!_

Noah: _Not me!_

Noah didn't get an answer, so he hung up the phone and began to walk back to his and Maddie's future. Seth stepped out of the shadows, knowing now what he had to do,

Seth: _He's in love, but he's not the only one who'll be changed. _

Across town, Maddie and Luke were inside the movie theater, chowing down on. Maddie frequently checked her phone, knowing that the theater killed the reception, just to make sure Noah had called before she went into the actual screening. She placed her phone back in her purse turning to Luke,

"Why hasn't Noah called me back?" She asked her friend, "We're supposed to be moving into the apartment in three days…I might've have done something to make him mad."

Luke, meanwhile, wasn't even listening to her, his thoughts were on the same subject, but he did catch the tail end of the statement, singing,

Luke: (in his head) _I shall not envy lovers, but long for what they share._

Maddie checked her phone again, before thinking along different lines,

Maddie: (in her head) _An empty room is merciless. Don't be surprised if I confess I need some comfort there. _

The young duo with the same man on their mind began to sing together,

Maddie and Luke: _And who'd have thought that love could be so good? Not me, not me. And show me things I never understood…Not me, not me!!! Who'd have guessed he'd throw his world away to be with someone till his dying day…Not me, not me!!! _

Noah ran toward the theatre, before they could make it into the screening room, singing out with Luke and Maddie,

Noah, Maddie, Luke: _And who'd have thought that love could be so good! _

Seth popped in from the other side, singing as well,

Seth: _No good!!! _

The love triangle sang together, the outsider following en suite,

Noah, Luke, and Maddie: _Not me!_

Seth: _Not me! _

Noah, Luke, and Maddie: _Not me!_

Seth: _Not me!_

Noah, Luke, and Maddie: _My/his secrets & My/his passions understood! _

Seth: _Oh no!_

Noah, Luke, and Maddie: _Not me!_

Seth: _Not me! _

Noah, Luke, and Maddie: _Not me! _

Seth: _Not me!_

Maddie spotted Noah running up the steps and tossed her purse into Luke's chest, racing down to greet her boyfriend,

Noah, Seth, Luke and Maddie: _Who'd have guessed I'd/he throw my/his world away to be with someone till my/his dying day. Not me/not me!!!!_

Seth stopped before he was seen by Noah or the others, ducking behind an artificial tree, finalizing his input,

Seth: _This can never be!_

Noah and Maddie sang to each, before they kissed,

Noah and Maddie: _Not me!!!!_

Luke watched the scene playing out before him, his spirit crushed at the sight,

Luke: (defeated) _Not me, oh, not me!!!_

_---_

Remember children, the little green button in the bottom center of the page means review. And you don't want to make the little green button angry, you won't like it when it's angry.


	3. Mr Snyder of Saigon

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own As the World Turns or any of the songs from the awesome musical "Miss Saigon". They all belong to Irna Phillips, Cameron Mackintosh and those two badass Frenchmen (some exist) who wrote the score and the lyrics.

A/N: This chapter is set in an alternate reality. Noah is soldier stationed in Saigon at the tail end of Vietnam, Noah is a deeply closeted to all, save his sleazy cousin, Seth, but this may change when he meets a Eurasian singer, Luke Snyder, who occasionally moonlights a male prostitute, under the guidance of Seth.

--

Lt. Noah Mayer crossed the streets of Saigon, his focus on the nightclub, Dragon Dynasty, where he knew his younger cousin, Seth, spent much of his time. Noah pushed past the throngs of people, everyone of them just trying to stay ahead of the curve. Whenever you live in a war torn nation, one tends to stand on their toes a lot. The young soldier opened the door of the club, the sounds of a Big Band in the air, the off duty soldiers and officers drinking and gambling in the tiny casino that was stationed in the back of the club.

"Noah!" A jovial voice shouted, getting the young officer's attention.

Noah turned to see his cousin, Seth Spencer, clad in a flashy red and black suit, walking toward him. The younger man hugged his cousin, slapping him on the back.

"I didn't think you were gonna make it," Seth said, grabbing Noah by the arm and leading him into a table in front of the stage, "And you got here just in time."

Seth looked down at a sign on the table, which read "Reserved" in Cantonese. He tossed the sign over his shoulder and plopped down in his seat.

"C'mon, Noah, the show's starting," He said, "This is that singer I keep talking about."

Noah, who hadn't had a chance to talk since entering the club, remained silent, watching at the sight of scantily clad Vietnamese women exiting the stage. Their exit cued a smokescreen, which filled one specific area of the stage. The sight that stepped out of the smoke was something that Noah couldn't have seen coming (though I'm sure my readers have): A young woman was standing on the front of the stage, decked out in a sparkling white evening gown, face covered in the makeup of the Peking opera, complete with the white face makeup and false eyelashes. The young woman opened her mouth, surprising Noah again, by singing not in a melodic soprano but a mesmerizing tenor,

Singer: _They are not nice, they're mostly noise. They swear like men, they screw like boys. I know there's nothing in their hearts, but every time I take one in my arms, it starts…_

Seth's gaze moved away from the singer on the stage to his cousin, who was entranced at the sight of the singer,

Singer: _The movie in my mind, the dream they leave behind. A scene I can't erase, and in a strong G.I's embrace. Flee this life, flee this place...  
_

"You like what you see?" Seth asked, a grin appearing on his face.

"Is that," Noah started, gulping, "A man?"

"Yeah," The younger man chucked, "Peking opera never casts women in these sorts of roles."

The singer's voice continued to fill the air,

Singer: _The movie plays and plays, the screen before me fills. He takes me to New York, he gives me dollar bills, our children laugh all day, and eat too much ice cream and life is like a dream..._

"You seem intrigued," Seth stated, "You wanna meet him after the show."

"What?" Noah snapped, Seth was at it again, "No, I don't wanna meet him. Why do you do this?"

"Chill, bro," His cousin said, raising his hands defensively, "You just seem surprised and I thought you'd wanna ask him about the 'Peking Opera'." He concluded, his fingers making quotation gestures,

Singer: _Dream... the dream I long to find, the movie in my mind!!!_

The beat of the music changed, becoming more and more fast paced, but more sanguine and sad,

Singer: _I will not cry, I will not think, I'll do my dance !!_

The Singer climbed off of the stage, stepping onto Seth and Noah's table. He dropped onto his knees, swinging the lower halves of his legs out of view,

Singer: _I'll make them drink, when I make love it won't be me, and if they hurt me..._

The Singer's seductive eyes locked on Noah, as he rolled off of the table and popped up behind Seth. He grabbed the handkerchief out of Seth's breast pocket, getting a laugh from his manager. He slinked over to the uniformed man sitting next to Seth,

Singer: _I'll just close my eyes and see, the movie in my mind.  
_

He swung the handkerchief over Noah's eyes, running the smooth silk of his face, practically singing in his ear (But, you know, like a Soap Opera singing in your ear),

Singer: _The dream that fills my head, a man who will not kill, who'll fight for me instead, he'll keep us safe all day.  
_

Noah suddenly felt two things, the first was a tightening in his pants and the other was the sudden feel of the Singer's weight crashing down on his lap,

Singer: _So no-one comes at night, to blow the dream away. Dream..._

Their faces grew closer, Seth smiling like a Cheshire cat and laughing like a hyena,

"Take it home, Nancy boy!" Noah's mischievous cousin shouted, reaching for his drink.

The Singer rolled off of Noah's lap, landing on his knees, smirking underneath the makeup,

Singer: _The dream I have to find, the movie in my mind...And in a strong G.I's embrace, flee this life, flee this place…A world that's far away, where life is not unkind, the movie in my mind._

Seth whispered something in the Singer's ear, pointing at Noah and laughing devilishly. Seth's buzz was killed before he heard a crashing sound in the front of the club.

"Watch him," Seth said, jumping out of his chair, tossed Noah's wallet back to him and bolted out of the club.

Noah's eyebrow raise over Seth's behavior was interrupted by the sight of a large, muscular man standing over him.

"Did a little shit dressed like a pimp run through here?" The man bellowed.

"He went that way," Noah said, pointing out to where Seth had just vanished through.

The Singer laughed, burying his head in Noah's shoulder and whispered, "The name's Luke by the way."

--

The night grew darker and Noah and Luke grew closer, talking about the one thing they had in common: Seth.

"So, my cousin is a pimp for male prostitutes?" Noah asked, almost laughing at the thought of Seth, who was always a little strange, slapping around other men that didn't give him his money.

"Yeah," Luke stated in a matter of fact tone, "I mean it's not just hookers. He has a hand in just about every illegal thing that goes on in Saigon."

"My Cousin, the Mobster," Noah quipped, "It sounds like a bad sitcom."

"What's a sitcom?" Luke asked, his eyes widening in curiosity.

"It's a show on television," The soldier answered, "You've seen a TV before, right?"

"Yes, Seth has one in his offices," Luke answered, "Of course, he never lets anyone watch it."

"I would've thought that you learned perfect English from watching TV," Noah implied.

"Actually, I learned it from my father," Luke said.

"Your father spoke English?" Noah asked.

"How else would I have learned it?" Luke retorted, "My father was an Englishman. He came to Vietnam and met my mother on a plantation, he owned it. And if you're wondering, no, he never owned a TV. He thought it was an instrument for the devil."

"Impressive," Noah said, "So, how'd you end up here?"

"Another fun story," Luke answered, "My father happened to be married to a rather shrewish woman who wanted nothing to do with me or my mother when he died. It was like I never existed."

"I'm sorry," Noah whispered, placing his hand on Luke's shoulder, "My dad forced me to enlist."

"I think I won this contest," Luke jokingly said.

Noah laughed before Luke asked, "Do you wanna get out of here? My place isn't that far away from here."

Noah's face flushed at what he could tell Luke was suggesting, "I have a fiancée say at home."

"I didn't say you had to sleep with me, this place is gonna get crowded soon and, without Seth around, I don't like making deals," Luke said.

--

They entered Luke's rather small apartment, the moonlight shining through the window. Luke kicked off his shoes and fell back onto his couch, his body stretching in a rather seductive pose that made Noah both nervous and exited. The sound of music filled the tiny apartment and Luke began to sing,

Luke: _You are sunlight and I moon, joined by the gods of fortune. Midnight and high noon, sharing the sky. _

Noah looked away from Luke, trying to resist his voice. Luke, however, slinked off of the couch. Noah felt Luke's hand caress his face, turning the soldier's face, their eyes locking,

Luke: _We have been blessed, you and I. _

Noah sang back, in an impressive baritenor, placing his forehead against Luke's,

Noah: _You are here like a mystery, I'm from a world that's so different from all that you are. How in the light of one night did we come so far? _

Luke pulled away, his lost energy returning,

Luke: _Outside day starts to dawn... _

Noah gripped his newfound "friend's" shoulders,

Noah: _Your moon still floats on high. _

Luke's lips were a hairsbreadth away from Noah's, but his voice was as focused and calm as ever,

Luke: _The birds awake... _

Noah: _The stars shine too. _

Noah took Luke's hand,

Luke: _My hands still shake..._

Noh: _I reach for you... _

The two belted out together,

Both: _And we meet in the sky!!!! _

Noah made his move and kissed Luke on the lips. The kiss was, at first, slow and awkward but soon turned into a battle for supremacy between two strong willed young men,

"This is so wrong," Noah said, his hands going against everything his brain was telling and unbuckling Luke's belt while the singer/prostitute unbuttoned his shirt,

"But you don't want to stop, right?" Luke questioned.

"No," Noah answered, his shirt falling to the floor.

Luke soaked in the sight and sang,

Luke: _You are sunlight and I moon, joined here bright'ning the sky with the flame of love… _

Noah's eyes were full of an air of confidence he rarely ever felt as Luke's pants joined his shirt. The half-naked soldier and prostitute finished their song,

Both: _Made of sunlight, moonlight!!!_

They kissed again, falling to the floor and disappearing under the moonlight,

--

Later in the night, Noah had redressed, staring out of the window. Luke was fast asleep, his snores were making the only sound in the room. Outside, Saigon was still alive, the Dragon Dynasty was more alive than ever. His mind was racing as the events of what had happened hours before played through his head. He had just made love to a man, what did that make him? Gay? Bisexual? Confused? Curious?

The music was still playing but now it had a more controlled melody, as if the musicians could read his mind. He propped his head against and began to sing,

Noah: _Why does Saigon never sleep at night? Why does this boy smell of orange trees? _

He stood up from the chair, thinking of everything he had seen and done since getting to Vietnam four months ago,

Noah: _How can I feel good when nothing's right? Why is he cool when there is no breeze?_

He whipped around to the nightlife of Saigon,

Noah: _Vietnam! You don't give answers, do you friend? Just questions that don't ever end why God? Why today? __I'm all through here, on my way, there's nothing left here that I'll miss, why send me now a night like this?  
_

He turned his attention to Luke who was sleeping alone,

Noah: _Who is the boy in this rusty bed? Why am I back in a filthy room? Why is his voice ringing in my head? Why am I high on his cheap cologne? _

Noah turned his attention back to Saigon again,

Noah: _Vietnam, hey look I mean you no offense but why does nothing here make sense? _

Looking up, Noah's eyes still had the conflictions he had had earlier in the night when his cousin introduced him to Luke,

Noah: _Why God? Show your hand, why can't one guy understand? I've made love to ones who knew much more, I never felt confused before. _

The young lieutenant walked toward, hoping that Luke wouldn't come looking for him

Noah: _Why me? What's your plan? I can't help him, no one can. I liked my mem'ries as they were but now I'll leave rememb'ring him. _

Noah reached into his wallet and placed some money on a table before leaving. Out on the street, he ran into a group of Vietnamese who were begging for help leaving the country. He covered his ears and pushed them aside, hoping that a trip down to the casino would do him some good. The soldier raced through the streets, singing,

Noah: _When I went home before, no one talked of the war, what they knew from TV didn't have a thing to do with me. _

He entered Dragon Dynasty's casino, where he found Seth sitting at the craps table. Noah sat down in the seat next to him,

Noah: _I went back and re-upped, sure Saigon is corrupt, it felt better to be here driving for the embassy. _

After an hour or two at the table, Noah decided to head back to the room. He felt some sort of pull back to the apartment. The man stepped out on the street, his face carrying the weight of the world,

Noah: _'Cause here if you can pull a string, a guy like me lives like a king, just as long as you don't believe anything_.

Noah stopped, then went back into Luke's room. His fingers caressed Luke's soft, almost china-doll like-skin, his light touches not registering to the sleeping man.

Noah: _Why God? Why this face? Why such beauty in this place? I liked my mem'ries as they were but now I'll leave rememb'ring him…_

Noah looked down at the sleeping singer,

Noah: _Just him!!!!!!_

Noah closed his eyes and fell asleep with Luke in his arms.

--

A/N: Wow, I can't believe that I not only wrote this, but I finished it in one day. Remember to read and review because, honestly, it helps my near-dead self-esteem.


	4. Songs With Seth, Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own this song, it belongs to Barry Manilow, and I don't own any of the ATWT's characters, they belong to CBS.

A/N: So, I decided to dedicate random chapters to the other characters in the lives of Luke and Noah, namely Casey and Alison and my own character, Seth. This chapter will focus on Seth and his view of the world, despite the fact he is ostracized by most of Oakdale for his eccentricities and general odd behavior. (Another note: I this is a success I was actually planning on telling some of Seth's story.)

--

Seth sat at a table in one of his favorite spots in Oakdale, the well-hidden poetry club at the edge of town that had karaoke nights on Friday to Sunday. It was, probably, the only place in town where he could dance on a table and nobody would really care. To be totally honest, the owners didn't really care because this place was typically used for poetry slams and the sight of rambunctious and happy youngsters helped lift their spirits after weeks of hearing poems about depressing subject matter.

"Hey, Seth!" A gruff voice shouted.

"What's up, O'Dell?" Seth said, springing out of his chair and landing on a stool at the counter.

"That's the first time I've seen you do that without hurtin' yourself." O'Dell pointed out getting a smile from the younger man.

"I've been practicing at home." Seth stated proudly.

"Babs ain't bothered by it?" O'Dell inquired.

"Well, she couldn't complain even if she wanted too," Seth said sadly, "Barbara and my dad are getting a divorce."

"Really?" The old African-American asked, "How long do marriage last in your family?"

"Not very long," He answered, "Not counting my mom and step-dad, my family doesn't have any luck with marriage."

"I think I know what'll cheer you up." O'Dell said, batting his head to the stage, which was empty, save for a microphone and karaoke machine.

Seth snickered at his friend, leaping off of the stool and ran onto the stage. The teenager nearly hung himself on the mike, knocking him onto the ground.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." He said, not getting anything other than a light chuckle from, at least, two people, who seemed more engrossed in their own discussions and work to worry.

Seth groaned a little at the apathetic nature of the audience before he turned to the man running the karaoke machine. He reached into his pocket and he tossed a note to the worker.

"Got this one?" He asked.

"You know I do, Little Barrowman." The operator said.

The man ran his finger across the "on" button of the machine and it activated. When he found the song, the music began to fill the air. Seth stepped in closer to the mike and began to sing, his low tenor filling the somewhat sanguine environment,

Seth: _We dreamers have our ways of facing rainy days and somehow we survive. We keep the feelings warm; protect them from the storm until our time arrives.  
_

He took the mike off of the stand, sitting down in front of the stage, similar to Judy Garland's legendary concert at the Palladium. The audience members began to take notice of the boy, one staring at the stage,

"Hey, that's the guy who rode that pull string raft down the highway!" He shouted.

Seth: (pointing out toward the front of the club.) _Then one day the sun appears and we come shining through those lonely years…_

O'Dell shot Seth a grin and gave him more confidence than ever,

Seth: _I made it through the rain, I kept my world protected. I made it through the rain, I kept my point of view. I made it through the rain and found myself respected by the others who got rained on too and made it through._

He stood up and smiled at the crowd, who seemed more into the performance than had been earlier. As had happened at the other table, another patron of the club recognized Seth,

"That's the bastard that blew up my boathouse with a bottle rocket!"

Seth: _When friends are hard to find and life seems so unkind, sometimes you feel so afraid. Just aim beyond the clouds, and rise above the crowds, and start your own parade._

At one of the tables, a man turned to his wife and asked, "Isn't that the little psycho who doughnuted through our yard and said he was chasing after his murderer uncle?"

"Yes, it is," The woman said, narrowing her eyes to see if she was right, "Whoever he is, he has lovely voice."

Seth: _'Cause when I chased my fears away, that's when I knew that I could finally say…  
_

Seth turned away from the crowd, hoping that they would stop talking that way about him, weren't they listening to the song? He spun around and sang out,

Seth: _I made it through the rain, I kept my world protected. I made it through the rain, I kept my point of view. __I made it through the rain and found myself respected by the others who got rained on too and made it through._

Seth belted out the final repeat of the chorus,

Seth: _I made it through the rain, I kept my world protected. I made it through the rain, I kept my point of view. __I made it through the rain and found myself respected by the others who got rained on too and made it through...And made it through!!!!_

The small crowd clapped for the young singer, who, for once in his life, seemed to be sheepishly thanking them,

"If you'd sing instead of interact with normal people, we may like you more." The lawn man said.

Seth rolled his eyes as he walked off of the stage: Well, maybe next time he'd be able to reach them.


	5. Casey and Ali Sing

Disclaimer: I do not own this song, it belongs to Elton John and Kiki Dee, I don't own any of the ATWT's characters, they belong to CBS.

A/N: So, I decided to dedicate random chapters to the other characters in the lives of Luke and Noah, namely Casey and Alison and my own character, Seth. This chapter will focus on the growing relationship between Alison and Casey.

--

Casey wandered into the poetry club just Seth jumped off of the stage.

"Hey, Casey!" He shouted, swinging his arm like Steelers' fan wielding the Terrible Towel.

Casey braced himself for impact, knowing that Seth's hellos were always a little more enthusiastic than they had to be, but his legs buckled out when the much smaller boy plowed into him.

"What's up?" Seth shouted, his voice ringing in Casey's head.

"Nothing," Casey said, pushing Seth off of him,

Seth smiled his normal Cheshire cat grin, his eyes bating left to right, "Do you have a date?"

Casey shook his head, "No, I just needed a place to clear my head and I figured spending the night with you could make the time go by faster."

"Almost-New Year's Booty Calls can be something that makes a man wanna clear his head out." Seth quipped.

Casey's jaw dropped, "How the hell do you…? I thought you weren't even allowed to go back into the Lakeview."

"My dad owns 15 percent of the place," Seth countered, "So, just because I'm not allowed back into the Lakeview doesn't mean I'm out of the loop."

Seth rested back in his chair, his arms

"I've always wanted to know why you're not allowed back in," Casey said, his head tilting in a quizzical manner.

"If you don't have any plans, I can tell you that story," Seth said, looking past Casey at the door, "It's quite a doozy."

"You can tell me anything you want on one condition," Casey said.

"Shoot."

"Don't tackle me ever again."

Seth shook his head, "I can't promise you that."

Casey rolled his eyes, "Can we, at least, find a table?"

"Now, we can do that." Seth said.

The two got up, allowing Casey to get his bearings back for only a moment before Seth grabbed his arm and pulled him to the front counter of the club. Seth opened his mouth to speak again, but, like every other plot device in my story, Alison walked into the club. Seth sprang from his chair and tackled Alison to the ground in the same manner he had done to Casey only minutes ago. O'Dell chuckled at the sight of Seth greeting his friend. The older man snapped his fingers, getting Seth's attention.

"Yeah!" Seth exclaimed, hoping back to his feet.

"Do you mind not tackling potential customers?" O'Dell scolded.

Seth's bushy eyebrows furrowed at O'Dell's order, "Then how am I supposed to say 'hi'?"

"You say 'hi', like a normal person." O'Dell fired back.

"Why would I wanna do that?" Seth questioned, looking down at the fallen Alison, who seemed amused at her friend's general confusion when it came to proper greetings.

Seth pouted, his foot connecting with the ground like a disaffected five-year old, before walking back to his table.

"You have to teach me how to do that." Alison said, sitting down by the counter, not noticing that Casey had taken a seat at a nearby table.

"I don't think it would work for you, sweetheart," O'Dell chortled, "I've known that boy since he was a little kid, you might not be able to handle him."

"I don't know," Casey said, his ears catching wind of the conversation, "She's a pretty tough chick."

Alison turned to see Casey sitting at the counter.

"Yo." He said passively, grinning at his other friend, who was now conflicted as to whether she should kill her former stepbrother for inviting her to a place where Casey was, or talk to Casey.

Inevitably, she chose the latter. The two chuckled nervously, talking about their separate and, otherwise uneventful, work day, leaving Seth and O'Dell's conversation to the two speakers.

"Are these's the two you were talking about?" The older man asked.

"Yeah," Seth answered, "I can tell they've got something goin' on, but they're dancing around the issue."

"Sounds frustratin'."

"Try living with it," The younger man said, "I just know that if one of them can pull a Heather Mills, they'd actually get somewhere."

"I wanna know one thing, little Barrowman," O'Dell asked.

"Shoot." Seth replied.

"How can you know so much about who's right for other people and not have a girl yourself?"

"It's the sacrifice that I made to help others." He answered, "Now, if you'll excuse, time zing my arrow into their buttocks'."

"There's gotta be a better way to phrase that." O'Dell mumbled as Seth leapt out from behind the bar, landing in front of Alison and Casey.

"Hey, guys!" He exclaimed (I know, no shit), "Guess what tonight is?"

"'Try to set your friends up' night?" Casey quipped.

"No, that's on Monday." Seth answered back, not even pausing to think of a comeback.

Alison rolled her eyes, "What night is it?"

"Karaoke night!" Seth shouted, "You have to go up and sing!"

"Let me think about that," Casey said, "Ali, what'd you think?"

"Humph, sounds tempting," Alison responded, her voice carrying the same amount, if not more, of the sarcasm Casey's had exhibited only moments earlier.

"But, what's the answer we're looking for?" Casey asked mockingly.

"Hell no?" Alison shrugged.

"More like Hell to the No." Casey said emphatically.

"You two are no fun!" Seth said, stamping back to his table.

When he was out of earshot (or whatever counts for earshot in a soap), O'Dell walking over to the edge of the counter where Casey and Alison were sitting.

"To be honest, I think you two should go up there." He suggested, "Seth went to a lot of trouble setting the karaoke night and no one really likes to go up there, except for him."

"I could kind of guess why," Alison interjected, "Nobody wants to be embarrassed over something that stupid."

"Weren't you in a sex tape?" O'Dell asked, almost making Alison fall out of her chair before looking at Casey, "And didn't you spend a year in jail?"

Casey spit out his drink all over the bar.

"Ah, that's nasty." O'Dell shouted.

"How'd you know about that?" Alison said, her face turning redder than one would think a face could turn.

Casey's death glare focused directly on Seth, "He told you all about that, didn't he?"

"He did me about the prison thing, but your video was all over the internet." O'Dell said, "By the way, that tape doesn't do you justice."

"Hey!" Alison screamed.

"What?" O'Dell asked, "I can't compliment a lady."

"Okay, is insulting gonna have a point?" inquired Casey.

"Yeah," The African-American said, "My point is, you have a lot of things to be embarrassed about, but having fun isn't one of those things."

Casey and Alison looked back at Seth and back at each other.

"He is right," Casey said, "I've done dumber things than this."

"Me too," Alison said, "How 'bout we do a duet? It would defiantly go by faster."

"That's a great idea." Casey added, the duo getting out of their shadows and approaching the stage.

Seth looked over at O'Dell, who shot his young friend a wink. Seth noticed that Casey and Alison weren't watching him, which gave him the ample opportunity to hold up a sign to the karaoke operator, who gave him the thumbs up.

"What'd you wanna sing?" Casey asked.

"I don't know." Alison answered, "Let's be a little spontaneous."

"Hey, dude," Casey said, getting the operator's attention, "Play whatever's on this list next."

The operator nodded, pressing the button to play the song that Seth had suggested. The sounds of Elton John and Kiki Dee's hit duet, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", filled the air. Casey rolled his eyes at the sound, as it was one of Maddie's favorites. Alison chuckled at her friend, who started to dance around the stage.

Raising the mike to his lips, Casey started to sing in a rather impressive tenor,

Casey: _Don't go breaking my heart!_

Alison laughed and sang,

Alison: _I couldn't if I tried!_

Casey: _Honey if I get restless!_

Alison: _Baby you're not that kind!_

Alison and Casey switched sides, still singing,

Casey: _Don't go breaking my heart!_

Alison: _You take the weight off me!_

Casey: _Oh, honey, when I knocked on your door!_

Alison: _I gave you my key!_

Seth shook in his seat, giggling like a three-year old at the sight on stage. Meanwhile, Casey and Ali hit the chorus of the song,

Alison and Casey: _Nobody knows it!_

Casey: _When I was down…_

Alison: _I was your clown._

Alison and Casey: _Nobody knows it, nobody knows…_

Casey: _Right from the start…_

Alison: _I gave you my heart…_

Alison hit the long note,

Alison: _Whoa, I gave you my heart!!!_

Casey began dancing, his movements were somewhat akin to Jeff Jarrett's dance moves in WWE. Ali groaned as Casey sang out,

Casey: _So don't go breaking my heart!!_

Alison: (smiled happily). _I won't go breaking your heart!!_

Alison and Casey: _Don't go breaking my heart!!!_

Casey turned to Seth, smiling instead of glaring,

Casey: _And nobody told us…_

Alison followed in suit, while Seth flashed them a thumbs up,

Alison: _`Cause nobody showed us!_

Casey: _And now it's up to us baby…_

Alison: _I think we can make it!_

Casey: (waved his finger at Ali). _So don't misunderstand me…_

Alison: (pointed at Casey). _You put the light in my life._

Casey: _You put the sparks to the flame…_

Alison: _I've got your heart in my sights._

The audience, this time around, seemed to be more into the duo than they were with Seth, was waving their cell phones like lighters,

Alison and Casey: _Nobody knows it!_

Casey: _When I was down…_

Casey stepped in closer on that line,

Alison: _I was your clown._

Alison let the rest of her inhibitions about dancing in public go and joined Casey in what looked like a poorly-choreographed production of "A Chorus Line" as they sang the chorus of the song,

Alison and Casey: _Nobody knows it…_

Casey: _Right from the start…_

Alison: _I gave you my heart…_

As she had done just one verse prior, Ali held the note, getting a small applause from the patrons of the club,

Alison: _I gave you my heart!!!!_

Casey: _So don't go breaking my heart…_

Alison: _I won't go breaking your heart._

Alison and Casey: _Don't go breaking my heart_…_Nobody knows it…_

Casey: _When I was down…_

Alison: _I was your clown!_

The music stopped, Casey titling his head before he asked,

Casey: I thought I was?

Alison: Shut up and sing!

The music picked up again, the audience getting more into the song,

Casey: _Right from the start…_

Alison: _I gave you my heart…_

Casey moved in closer to Alison, who, for the first time, in a long time, didn't pull away. She threw her head back and belted out the end of the chorus,

Alison: _I gave you my heart!!!!_

The duo glided back and forth, singing,

Casey: _So don't go breaking my heart!_

Alison: _I won't go breaking your heart!_

Alison and Casey: _Don't go breaking my heart!_

The music faded as Casey and Alison kissed, and this time she didn't pull away. In fact, she pulled him closer as Seth leapt out of his chair, his arms pumping in the air. Seth hopped onto the stage and tackled the duo.

"Damn it, Seth!!!" They shouted, the sounds of punching echoing off of the stage.

--

A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this. I'm not really proud of it, but I did the best I could with it.


	6. I Can't Unlove You

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this chapter, not ATWT, not Noah Mayer, or Kenny Rogers' kick-ass tune "I Can't Unlove You".

--

Noah Mayer sat alone in the Spencer's Bar and Grill, another one of his Uncle Samuel's many businesses in and around Oakdale. His fingers glided across the top strings of his guitar, trying to find the proper sounds to convey how he felt. The door of the bar opened to reveal his uncle standing in the doorway, followed by his employee, Walt, who was pushing a dolly filled with assorted fancy, foreign beers.

"Don't stop on our account," Samuel said, his voice gruff but not imposing, "Keep practicing. If you get really good it'll get Seth someone else to pester."

Noah returned to his guitar and his uncle crossed over behind the bar, pulling out his inventory list. The younger man looked back at him, trying to stay focused on his guitar. After a brief, and agitating, interior monologue, he finally asked.

"Uncle Sam?"

"Yes." Samuel asked, dragging out his response like Frank Nelson.

"Okay," Noah responded, stretching out his confused statement as Samuel had done moments before.

"All right, quit making fun of an old man," Samuel commanded, "What'd ya' want?"

"I wanted to ask you about relationships." Noah started.

"Oh God," groaned Samuel, "Noah, I'd love to help, but I'm the last guy you want to ask about relationship."

Samuel thought about that for a moment,

"Now, that I think about it. You want advice on relationships talk to Casey's grandfather or his father. They've been married to Kim and Margo longer than anyone's been married in this town."

"Didn't they cheat on their wives?" Noah asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They always went back." Samuel retorted, checking off the stock on his list.

"Well, I can't talk them; I don't really know them that well." Noah said.

"Good point," Samuel said, rubbing the stubble on his face, "All right, ask me your question."

"Is it wrong that I still love Luke even after everything he's done?" Noah asked, his face looking as though a 500-pound weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

"What the whole fixing the election or the making out with his step-grandfather?" Samuel asked.

"A little of both." Noah admitted, "What he did was wrong and I know that I can't be with him purely based on those grounds morally but I…"

"Just can't quit him?" chortled Samuel.

"Something like that." Noah stated, his voice dripping with as much sarcasm.

"Why do I sleep with women who lie to me?" Samuel asked, "Why do I marry women who I know are no good for me? Why did I marry Barbara Ryan twice and divorce her twice?"

"I don't know!" Noah confessed.

"Exactly," Samuel said, "I know it sounds a little cliché but we can't help who we fall in love with. In a lot of cases, I'm glad I fell in love with Penelope and Barbara. I wouldn't have Seth or Ryan if I didn't."

The older man continued on,

"My point is, you eventually figure out what you want. The trick is to realize when the things you want have changed and get out before you or that someone gets hurt."

Samuel poured whiskey into an empty glass and swigged it down.

"Seth told me you quit drinking." Noah said, tilting his head at his uncle.

"I quit drinking as a sign of solidarity with Susan." Samuel answered, "I can still do it when she's not here. And since she's not here, I plan to drink until I'm stupid and I dial her phone number leaving obscene messages."

Noah snorted at his uncle's comments, who was quite cavalier in his response.

"It keeps me young." Samuel admitted, grabbing the bottle and walking toward the steps.

"So you two really are back together?" Noah asked, inwardly chuckling at the thought of Seth's dad and Alison's mother in a relationship this late in the game.

"We're taking it slow," Samuel answered, "Cause, really, look our track records. My last wife was a compulsive liar that I married twice and her last husband was a serial killer that she married twice."

Noah's eyes went wide.

"Suddenly, my problems don't sound as big anymore." He muttered to himself watching his uncle leave the bar.

He climbed off of the barstool and returned to his guitar. The lovelorn young man began to play when he heard another guitar's sound fill the empty room. Noah turned to see Jason Connors, the leader of The Band, a group of musical miscreants that travelled the world searching for musical numbers, standing in the bar, guitar in hand.

"I know you from somewhere, don't I?" Noah asked, sizing up the young man.

"Most likely," Jason answered, crossing past the bar, "I show up whenever Seth has a song on his mind. Except for the last two chapters when he ditched me and the guys for a karaoke machine."

"What?" Noah inquired.

"Nothing." Jason said, brushing off his own comment, "You're pretty good with that thing."

He nodded toward Noah's guitar.

"Yeah, I've played since I was a little kid," Noah said, "Figured I'd bust it out now."

"Love on the rocks?" Jason asked, "Ain't no big surprise."

"How do you guys know all these things?" Noah asked.

"Two reasons, actually," Jason answered, "One: The writer tells us. Two: I'm pro at spotting heartbreak. And you, you look like the kinda guy who just got his heart broke."

"My uncle just went upstairs." Noah said, "I mean, if that's who you're looking for."

"I was looking for him," Jason said, "But, I think this problem needs to remedied first."

Noah turned away from Jason, "There's no problem."

"Dude, don't me go back and re-read this story to you." Jason shot back.

There was a brief silence between the two before Noah blurted out,

"Is it wrong that I still love him?"

Jason practically jumped out of the barstool, "No!" The musician answered, "I've been in a relationship with the same girl for about two years. And she can be a real handful."

"I don't think it's the same." Noah chimed in.

"Well, not the same as physically, but I've learned that relationships are all the same." Jason said, "But good relationship is a push-pull deal. Me and Carmen spent the better part of a year insulting each other and fighting over every little thing."

"What happened?" Noah asked.

"Harris and Maggie locked us on the roof of the school until we worked our feelings out." Jason admitted, grinning stupidly.

"Casey and Alison did something like that."

"How'd it go?"

"It failed miserably as you can tell." Noah said.

"The same sort thing happened with me and Carmen," Jason added, "Think of it like this, at least Casey and Alison, was it?" Noah nodded before Jason continued, "At least, they didn't handcuff you two together and refuse to give you the key."

"Thank God!" Noah muttered, "Do any of these questions have a point?"

"Yeah, they do," Jason responded, "The point is that you've gotta learn that Luke is gonna make mistakes, so will you. The trick is learning what mistakes will be the ones that really end a relationship and the ones that are just lover's spats."

Jason stood up, collecting his guitar case and walking toward the stairs that led to Samuel's office. Noah watched the musician vanish from sight, thinking about what he had said.

"What does he know?" He asked himself, "He's still with the one he loves."

Noah walked back to the table and picked up his guitar and began to play again. He was soon accosted by the sounds of a violin. Noah turned to see Maggie Snyder (no relation to Luke or his family), another one of Jason cohorts, playing the instrument. She was playing a very familiar tune.

Noah started to play again, singing with the melody, in a rather nice tenor,

Noah: _Postcards and letters and pictures made to last forever to be boxed up and tossed away. Knickknacks and souvenirs in an afternoon, they're out of here, they'll disappear without a trace._

Noah stopped playing and looked up to see the rest of The Band, sans Jason, standing in the bar. They all looked like they needed a leader. Noah started to sing again,

Noah: _But what they mean to me can never be replaced…_

The Band began to play with Noah, the young man singing his feelings out,

Noah: _I can't unthink about you, I can't unfeel your touch, I can't unhear all the words, unsay all the things that used to mean so much. __I wish I could unremember __everything my heart's been through. I'm finding out it's impossible to do, oh…_

He paused and groaned,

Noah:_ It's no use, I can't unlove you._

Meanwhile, Seth and Luke were walking down the street.

"C'mon!" Seth begged, pulling Luke's arm, "You don't have to drink anything, just come in and see it."

"Seth, I don't need to go in there," Luke protested, "If you've seen one bar you've seen them all."

Luke's protestations were interrupted by a rather familiar sound,

Noah: _Intestates and old songs, like time they go on and on, I guess I could learn to do the same._

'Is that Noah?' Luke thought, walking closer to the entrance of the bar.

'Are those my friends?' Seth thought to himself as he followed after Luke.

The duo walked in through the front door to have their questions answered,

Noah: _I could wake up without you, these two arms not around you, tell myself it's meant to be this way_. _No matter how I try some things I can't change…_

Noah's voice was louder and stronger than ever before as he belted out the chorus again,

Noah: _I can't unthink about you, I can't unfeel your touch, I can't unhear all the words, unsay all the things that used to mean so much. __I wish I could unremember everything my heart's been through. I'm finding out it's impossible to do, oh, oh, oh…_

Noah looked up at the entrance, double-taking at the sight of Luke standing there. He barely managed to gasp out,

Noah: _It's no use, I can't unlove you._

The Band picked up the slack, the sounds of country rock filling the bar. Luke smiled weakly at Noah before taking a seat at the bar. Noah smiled back and began to sing again,

Noah: _I wish I could unremember everything my heart's been through and finding out it's impossible to do, oh…_

Noah gazed at Luke, this time on purpose and directed the final words of the toward him,

Noah: _Oh, it's no use, I can't unlove you._

"C'mon guys!" Seth shouted, "Let's leave these kids alone. Let's go bother Tom and Margo."

"Are you sure you want to mess with a woman who's armed?" Maggie's twin brother, Drew, asked.

"On the other hand," Seth quickly replied, "I would rather bother Lily and Holden."

"Sounds like a plan." Harris Travers, the keyboardist, responded as the group darted out of the bar.

When they were gone, Noah placed his guitar in its case.

"You're really good," complimented a smiling Luke.

"Thanks." Noah replied, looking away from Luke.

"You really oughta play more often." Luke added.

"Why are you here?" Noah finally blurted out.

"I'm glad one of us decided to cut through the B.S." Luke sighed, "Honestly, Seth dragged me here to see the bar before the big opening."

"Yeah, it would be tough to appreciate the architecture when you're passed out on the floor, making out with every available guy in your path."

"Ouch!" Luke said, clutching his chest in an overly dramatic fashion, "Sounds a little less brutal compared to when you tried to enlist because you didn't wanna be anywhere near me."

"Or you rigging the election and then lying to me about it."

"Or you using Maddie in some misguided effort to prove you were straight."

Noah growled at Luke's last comment, before the words of Samuel and Jason returned to his train of thought.

"Luke," He said, his voice calm, "I'm sorry for what I said."

"What?" Luke asked, raising an eyebrow at Noah.

"I said I was sorry," Noah stated, "I guess I had to see you again to realize that I don't wanna lose you just because we've had a few stupid fights. Would your parents split up because of this?"

"Depends on the year." Luke quipped.

Noah chuckled at Luke's remark, moving closer to him.

"I thought rigging an election and cheating went against all of your morals." Luke said, his face moving closer to Noah's.

"They do," Noah said, "But, I'm gonna try to learn when to pick my battles."

The two smiled at each other, their lips touching in trepidation, before they kissed. The kiss became more and more heated, Noah's hands moving onto the bar, practically pinning Luke to it.

"Hey!" They heard a voice shout, causing them to stop kissing and jump out of their seats.

They looked up to see Samuel standing by the bar. Samuel not looking too pleased.

"Get a room, you two." He ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Luke said, mock-saluting his boyfriend's uncle.

The couple raced out of the bar, Noah's arm wrapped around Luke's neck.

"Did you mean the whole room thing?" He asked, a mischievous grin appearing on his face.

"Yeah," Luke said, lust pervading his voice, "My grandma's out of town and my parents are at the Lakeview."

"What about your brothers and sisters?" Noah asked.

"Either working or at school." Luke answered.

"We have the whole house to ourselves?"

"Yep."

"My truck is a lot faster than your car." Noah said, "Go, go, go!"

"We're gonna have to take your truck anyways," Luke said, "Seth stole my car."

"All the better." Noah said, as the two raced to the truck.

--

A/N: Well, I hope everyone enjoyed the latest installment of this story. I know I had fun writing it.


	7. A Step Too Far

Disclaimer: I do not own this song, it belongs to Elton John and Tim Rice, I don't own any of the ATWT's characters, they belong to CBS.

A/N: If anyone hasn't already noticed, I am sort of obsessed with the Luke/Noah/Maddie love triangle. I think it's because it fell short of what I thought it could be and I wanted to remedy in my works.

--

Maddie Coleman sat in Al's Diner, watching as Luke and Noah sat at a booth, their conversation muted from her ears. Everyone in Oakdale honestly thought she didn't believe there was something different about Noah. She wasn't sure what but she knew he wasn't with her for all the right reasons. Noah leapt out of the booth, darting over to his lovely girlfriend, sneaking up behind her.

"Hey, Mads," He said, his arms wrapping around her waist.

Maddie almost jumped out of her seat, getting a light chuckle from Luke.

"Sorry," Noah said meekly, "Anyways, Luke and I were gonna meet up with Seth and help Luke's dad with the horse. You wanna come?"

"I'm not feeling so hot," Maddie replied, trying her best to fake ill health, "You two can go on without me."

Noah's eyebrows furrowed in concern, "You sure?"

"I've got Henry and Vienna to look after me if it gets worse." She said, "You two go and have fun."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Noah repeated.

Maddie groaned inwardly, "Yes, I'm positive. Now get out of here before Seth releases the herd again."

"Okay," Noah said, kissing Maddie on the cheek.

The two young men ran out of the diner toward Noah's truck, leaving Maddie alone. She rested her head on the counter, watching the truck drive off to the Snyder farm and vanish from her line of sight. She sat up and walked toward the door.

Maddie didn't have to wait long for something strange, the notorious musical group, The Band, appeared where Noah's truck had once been. They were playing a tune Maddie recognized only because, like her love of old movies, Seth was obsessed with musicals, and this was a song he sang frequently.

She listened to the opening, knowing what the song was really about, hanging her head in a sudden realization. Maddie leaned against the doorway and started to sing,

Maddie: _It's so strange he doesn't show me more affection than he needs, almost formal too respectful, never takes romantic leads. _

Her thoughts faded to the fact that there was more electricity between Noah and Luke than there was between them,

Maddie: _There are times when I imagine I'm not always on his mind; he's not thinking what I'm thinking, always half a step behind, always half a step behind…_

The young woman reentered the diner, harmonizing with the musicians, her heart sinking deeper into her stomach over the truth,

Maddie: _Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh… _

Her suspicions were well founded, though, as Luke and Noah were not with Luke's dad, but in the throes of a rather passionate make-out session. Luke pulled away from Noah, who was on top and showing the more dominate side of his personality.

"Noah," Luke said, Noah's hands running up his shirt, "Noah?" He repeated.

Noah returned to his lips, "What?" He asked in between kisses.

"We have to stop right now?" Luke said.

"Why? We haven't even got to the fun parts yet." Noah said, smiling mischievously.

"One: my tongue is starting to get a charley horse How come you haven't told Maddie about us?" Luke asked, bluntly.

Noah chuckled nervously, playing with his collar. He heard the sound of music (I didn't mean it like that, seriously) playing outside on the road, this time followed by a band called the OC Invasion. He began to sing in a secretive soap opera manner,

Noah: _I'm in every kind of trouble, can't you tell, just look at me. Half ecstatic, half dejected, all in all I'm all at sea. __Easy terms I thought I wanted fill me now with chilling dread. You could never know the chaos of a life turned on its head, of a life turned on its head…Oh, oh, oh, oh…_

Back at the diner Maddie was harmonizing with Noah, the musicians' instruments picking up the pace,

Noah and Maddie: _Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh._

Luke watched Noah's angry expression as he drove toward the Snyder Ranch. The sounds of the OC Invasion following after them in a bus. Luke started to sing with his own verse of the song,

Luke: _I am certain that I love him, but a love can be misplaced. Have I compromised my friendship in my passion and my haste? __I could be his life companion anywhere but where we are. Am I lover? Am I traitor? Did I take a step too far?_

The boys arrived at the Ranch, Maddie singing in counterpoint with Luke and Noah, who didn't want to talk while they helped Holden get Seth out of a poorly constructed saddle that was attached to a wild Colt,

Maddie: _**It's so strange he doesn't show me more affection than he needs, almost formal too respectful, never takes romantic leads. **__**There are times when I imagine I'm not always on his mind; he's not thinking what I'm thinking, always half a step behind, always half a step behind.**_

Noah mounted a horse with little trouble, continuing the song as he, Holden and Luke raced after the speeding colt,

Noah:_** I'm in every kind of trouble, can't you tell, just look at me. Half ecstatic, half dejected, all in all I'm all at sea. **__**Easy terms I thought I wanted fill me now with chilling dread. You could never know the chaos of a life turned on its head, of a life turned on its head**_

Luke followed suit, hanging behind Noah and his father, allowing himself time to lament,

Luke: _**I am certain that I love him, but a love can be misplaced. Have I compromised my people in my passion and my haste? **__**I could be his life companion anywhere but where we are. Am I lover? Am I traitor? Did I take a step too far? Did I take a step too far? **_

Luke started to harmonize with the OC Invasion, while the music soared as Noah and Maddie sang with him,

Luke: _**Oh, oh, oh, oh **_

Noah joined in with his boyfriend,

Luke and Noah: _Oh, oh, oh, oh _

Maddie joined her best friend and her boyfriend

Luke, Noah and Maddie: _Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. _

Noah and Holden managed to rope the colt, causing Seth to fall out of the saddle. The triangle finally asked the question of what they had walked into,

Luke, Noah, and Maddie: _Did I take a step too far?!_

--

A/N: Now that this is over and done with, I hope you enjoy. Another thought, I think it's time I found Seth a love interest of his own. I'm offering three options: Maddie, Jade, or Lucy. Of those these three girls, which do you think would be best for him?


	8. Red, Red Wine

Disclaimer: The song does not belong to me, it belongs to Neil Diamond. I do not own ATWT and if I did, I would be crazy and dead. And since I'm not dead, I'd have to say I don't own anything at all except for O'Dell.

Timeline: Set around the time Noah dumped Luke for making out with Brian

--

Luke stumbled into the _In the Heights_, the poetry club owned by Don O'Dell, the smell of booze emitting off of the young man like flies on a cow's ass. The old African-American male stepped out from back rooms and examined the young man before checking underneath his counter. Below there was a cache of photos and Luke's was on the top of the pile.

'Looks like he's fallen off the wagon again,' O'Dell thought, retrieving the coffee pot and pouring a glass just as Luke flopped onto one of the counter's many stools.

Luke looked down at the cup and then up at O'Dell, who was wearing a bright smile, save for the fact he was missing a few teeth. Luke looked down at the cup again, a look of confusion and frustration crossing his face.

"I didn't even ask for anything." Luke finally said, his eyelids feeling heavier than they had been in a long time.

"Did have to," O'Dell said, holding up the picture of Luke, "Your buddy, Seth, gave me this and told me that if I ever ran into you and you were drunk, I should give you a cup of coffee and call him."

"What's he gonna do," a glib Luke grumbled, "Tell my mommy?"

"Actually, yes." answered O'Dell.

"I was being sarcastic." Luke shot back.

O'Dell maintained a cool head with the drunk youth, "I'm well of aware of what you were doing, Mr. Snyder." He pushed the cup closer to Luke's hand, "Drink the coffee."

Luke, however, pushed the "I'd rather swallow poison."

"With that liver of yours, you kind of did." O'Dell pointed out.

"How the hell…" Luke shouted, looking at the old man quizzically, "How did you…" He paused for a moment, "Seth?"

O'Dell nodded, smiling smugly.

"Does he just go around telling everyone his friends' problems?"

"Not all of them, just the ones he needs help dealing with." O'Dell said.

"Well, they're not his problems to deal with." Luke hissed.

"Look, he's not the only one who comes here when life gets hard," O'Dell, "Your friends, Casey and Alison, come in here…"

"Look," Luke said, cutting him off, "Are you gonna give me booze or not?"

"No." O'Dell said firmly.

"Fine." Luke said, spinning off of the stool and falling to the ground.

The young man pulled himself to his feet, trying his best to shake off the embarrassing spill he had just taken. Luke stumbled out of the bar and back into the streets.

--

A few hours later, he was in the barn of Snyder farm, a bottle of red wine in his hands. He cracked the seal and took a quick swig of the booze. Luke coughed at the taste of the wine, he didn't want to drink but he had no reason to stay sober.

Luke's angst/alcoholic-riddled stupor was interrupted by the sound of an acoustic guitar. He rolled across the hayloft, hanging his head over the side, and saw Jason Connors sitting in lower part of the barn.

"Excuse me," Luke interrupted, "But what the hell are you doing here?"

"Practicing." countered Jason, not even bothering to look up at Luke.

Luke grimaced at the young musician, "I can see that," He crowed, "But, aren't you suppose to be pestering Seth or getting involved in somebody else's story?"

"Well, as tantalizing as that sounds right now," Jason said, "I'm not allowed to leave you guys alone until the last chapter."

Luke looked at Jason quizzically before shaking off his own unsaid question and returning to his liquor. He downed about three more gulps when the music began to play even louder than it had before. Luke growled as he examined the bottle,

'Once this is empty, I'm gonna throw it at him.' thought the somewhat inebriated Snyder when he heard the sounds of Jason's guitar again.

This time, however, the tune was slower and more somber. The kind of lamenting tune that caught Luke's interest. The lonely young man was soon singing along to the tune,

Luke: _Red, red wine, go to my head. _

Much to his own chagrin, Luke continued to sing,

Luke: _Make me forget that I still need him so. _

He took another, wiping his eyes,

Luke: _Red, red wine, it's up to you. All I can do, I've done but memories won't go, no, memories won't go.  
_

Luke placed the bottle on the ground and stood up, stumbling but not falling. He stood at the edge of his hiding place, singing the refrain,

Luke: _I'd have sworn, that with time, thoughts of you would leave my head. _

Luke turned away from the edge, not noticing that Noah was walking into the barn, a look of confusion on his face. Noah didn't say a word and simply listened to Luke's voice,

Luke: _I was wrong and I find just one thing makes me forget:  
_

Luke tripped and fell back in front of the bottle. Luke opened it up again and stared at the vessel that held his savior. He began to sing to the bottle again,

Luke: _Red, red wine, stay close to me. Don't let me be alone, it's tearing apart, my blue, blue heart._

Jason continued to play, gently jerking his head to the top of loft, as if to tell Noah, 'Hey, dumbass, he's sorry. Get up there'. Luke placed the bottle back down and began to sing again,

Luke: _I'd have sworn, that with time, thoughts of you would leave my head. _

Noah simply listened to the song, scaling the ladder and attempting to stay out of Luke's line of sight,

Luke: _I was wrong and I find just one thing makes me forget: _

Luke fell to the ground, the song still on his lips,

Luke: _Red, red wine, stay close to me. _

Luke's eyes slowly began to close, the wine finally doing its job,

Luke: _Don't let me be alone; _

Luke almost whispered the final words of the song, falling asleep as the words left his mouth,

Luke: _It's tearing apart, my blue, blue heart._

Noah approached his fallen ex, a twinge of regret in his eyes. The raven haired young man took the blanket that they had used as their star gazing blanket and placed it on the sleeping Luke.

"I know you're sorry," He whispered, "We'll talk when you wake up."

Noah stood up and grabbed the half-empty bottle. He climbed down from the loft and exited the barn, not noticing that Jason had vanished again. But, Noah could still hear the sounds of Jason's guitar in the distance.

--

A/N: Thanks for reading everyone. I know I say this a lot, maybe even too much, I really appreciate your reviews and comments.


	9. Songs with Seth, Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own this song or As the World Turns, although I wish I did. I'm using the version of the song as sung by the awesome Bryan Adams, whom I also do not own. I only own Seth, O'Dell, and any of the OCs.

Timeline: This story takes place shortly after Noah and Maddie split up and Noah enters into a relationship with Luke. Seth, meanwhile, has been the helpful friend for Maddie, trying his best to cheer her up.

--

Seth Spencer sprang through the door of the _In the Heights_ poetry club, rolling across the floor like a Marine, ready to open up a freshly squeezed can of whoop-ass. His head darted from left to right, as if searching for something.

"Hey, Mini Barrowman," The gruff voice of Don O'Dell shouted from behind the counter, "What's on the agenda tonight?"

Seth's eyes went wide as he started jumping up and down in delight, "I brought a new customer!" He declared, racing back out of the club. O'Dell chuckled at his godson's antics, but his grin turned into a sly smile when he saw Seth escorting a pretty young woman into the building.

"Don," Seth said, gently nudging the girl toward the counter, "This is Maddie Coleman. Maddie, this is Don O'Dell"

"Ma'am," O'Dell said, placing his hand on the counter.

Maddie shook O'Dell's hand, "Nice to meet you. Seth didn't stop talking…"

"You get used to it." O'Dell quipped.

Maddie laughed at the joke and at Seth's reaction when he realized what O'Dell meant.

"Hey!" Seth shouted, turning his attention to Maddie, "Maddie, you can go find a seat; I wanted to talk to O'Dell."

"Got a preference?" Maddie asked.

"Yeah, by the stage," Seth answered, "It's karaoke night after all."

Maddie walked away from the scene.

"So, that's Maddie Coleman?" O'Dell inquired.

"Yeah." Seth responded, sitting on the nearest stool.

"I thought she was dating your cousin."

It was Seth's turn to raise an eyebrow at O'Dell, "Come on, O'Dell, you and I both know Noah's about as gay as the day is long."

O'Dell snorted at Seth's little joke, "You finally got your proof?" He asked, noticing a change in the younger man's demeanor.

"Yeah, I did," Seth answered, "I just wish I wasn't right."

O'Dell patted Seth on the back.

"Look," began Seth, "I'm just trying to help her out. She needs a friend and, trust me; Luke is definitely not going to go on that list right now."

"Well, what she went through has gotta be a real blow to a girl's self-esteem." O'Dell added.

"I don't have any experience in that area. My boyfriend's never left me for another man," Seth said, getting a confused look from O'Dell, "but I'm just gonna do what I can to help her."

"Hey, Seth," He heard Maddie call out, "I found us a seat."

"Score!" Seth cried, leaping from the stool.

Unfortunately, Seth left the ground before his body was ready and he crashed to the ground. Maddie covered her mouth, trying her best to suppress a laugh.

"I'm okay," Seth said, pulling himself to his feet.

"I think I'd better help you to the chair." Maddie suggested.

"Maddie, I'm fine," Seth stated, "If I can fall from the roof of my apartment through a coffee table, can I take a little tumble from a stool."

"I don't know, Seth," piped O'Dell, "I think you should listen to the lady."

"For you information, O'Dell," an indignant Seth crowed, turning to Maddie, "And you, Madeline, I'm a big boy and I can make it to the chair without hurting myself."

Seth got to his feet and crossed the room gingerly, plopping down gently into the chair.

"Ha ha!" He shouted triumphantly, pumping his arms into the air and catching another customer clean in the jaw.

Seth turned to see the damage and saw the man lying on the floor, knocked out cold.

"Sorry." He said, turning back into his chair and resuming his business.

Maddie walked over to the table, a look that said, "I told you so", on her face.

"Shut up," the annoyed Seth said, turning away from his friend.

"I thought you dragged me here to cheer me up?" Maddie asked, getting him to turn around and look at her.

"True," He said, "I did bring you here to do just that."

He surveyed the stage, which was clear, as was the norm on karaoke night. Seth giggled before getting out of his seat and hoping onto the stage. He turned back to Maddie and gave her a thumbs up, shooting her a grin that said, "look, no accidents". Seth approached the machine operator,

"I'm gonna a more upbeat tune for this one," He whispered.

The operator looked over at Maddie, "Nice to see you brought a girl with ya this time, Mini Barrowman."

"It's not what you think," Seth said, "She's my cousin's ex."

"Never thought of you as a hand-me-down sort of guy."

"Mick," Seth growled, "Please, just play a song that I know so that I can give a friend a good chuckle."

"No sweat." Mick replied.

Seth approached the mike, "Hey Maddie, next time, you're coming up here with me." He said.

The karaoke machine began to blast out a rather familiar, causing Seth to chuckle himself.

"Appropriate," He mused under his breath before he began to sing.

Seth: _Clue number one was when you knocked on my door, clue number two was the look that you wore…_

Maddie laughed at her friend, who did a little dance on the stage, pulling the mike of its stand. He continued the tune,

Seth: _And that's when I knew it was a pretty good sign that something was wrong up on cloud number nine.  
_

Seth spun around and stopped at the edge of the stage,

Seth: _Well it's a long way up and we won't come down tonight. Well it may be wrong but baby it sure feels right. And the moon is out and the stars are bright, and whatever comes it's gonna be alright. Cause tonight you will be mine up on cloud number nine._

Seth hopped off of the stage, moving like David Bowie in the early 90s. He swung his legs across the table, landing safely in front of Maddie, who was smiling like a Cheshire cat.

Seth: _And there ain't no place that I'd rather be, and we can't go back but you're here with me. Yeah, the weather is really fine up on cloud number nine.  
_

Seth sat up, placing the mike in front of Maddie, who pushed it away. He looked at her, tilting his head,

Seth: You're loss…

He hopped off the table, dodging the man he knocked out only moments before, giving the customers quite a show. He turned back into Maddie's line of sight, singing to her,

Seth: _Now he hurt you and you hurt me, and that wasn't the way it was supposed to be. So baby tonight let's leave the world behind and spend some time up on cloud number nine. _

He turned and darted back to her, landing safely in front of her. He pulled her up from her chair, singing happily to her,

Seth: _Well it's a long way up and we won't come down tonight. Well it may be wrong but baby it sure feels right.  
_

He offered her the mike, this time Maddie joined in,

Seth and Maddie: _Well we won't come down tonight…Ya we won't come down tonight…_

Seth reclaimed control of the song,

Seth: _No we won't come down tonight…_

Maddie pulled the microphone closer, which, in turn, pulled Seth closer. They two sang out together,

Seth and Maddie: _Yeah,_ _we can watch the world go by up on cloud number nine!_

The small crowd applauded for the young man and woman, who were still looking at each other, a look of nervous anticipation on their faces. Maddie decided to break the tension and kissed Seth on the cheek.

"Thanks, tiger," She whispered to him, "I really needed a friend today."

"No sweat," He replied, trying his best to hide his disappointment, "It's what I'm here for." He whispered.

Maddie collected her purse, "You wanna go play laser-tag?"

"Laser-tag?" Seth asked, smiling triumphantly, "Sure you can take me?"

"With your natural grace, I think I've got a good shot." She shot back, in a tone that could honestly be construed as flirting.

Seth looked down at his shoes, realizing that the guy he knocked out earlier was waking up.

"First person to the car pays for the first round." Seth declared, running toward the door.

"What?" Maddie yelled, "Seth, wait up. That isn't fair."

--

A/N: So what'd you guys think? I'll be honest, I'm not really confident about the relationship I just presented. But I have a feeling I'll get better as time goes by, just look at NUKE in the first chapter and then move to the "Miss Saigon" homage

On another related note: I was honestly thinking about writing a story about Maddie finding out about Luke and Noah and goes running to Seth for comfort (but not that way, perverts). I think it would be a good way to integrate him and his family into more stories. Think it's a good idea?


	10. Casey Sings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters featured in this chapter save for the OCs. I also do not own the song. And why do I not own this song? Well, there's a simple mathematical equation that answers that question: Morrissey is greater than Soulless Warlock.

A/N: I think I've given Luke and Noah enough sad bastard songs for the moment so I decided to do the same to Casey and Alison.

--

Casey Hughes entered the _In the Heights_ poetry club, a sour expression on his face. O'Dell looked up from the glass he was cleaning.

"Hey there, Case," He shouted, "What can I get ya?"

"Beer. I don't care what kind, I just need something alcoholic." Casey said, slumping into the nearest barstool.

"How 'bout some calm down tea?" The older man asked, a phantom of a smile appearing on his face.

Casey growled at O'Dell, "How about you show the customer a bottle of booze so I can forget about how shitty my day was?"

"Why don't you tell me how shitty your day went?" O'Dell suggested, placing the glass he was cleaning back in its place.

"You are the strangest bartender I have ever met." Casey stated bluntly.

O'Dell answered back, brushing off Casey's comment, "I'm a concerned friend first, bartender second."

Casey studied the old man's face, which didn't betray any sense of backing down. The young Hughes grunted and rolled his eyes when he realized that he wasn't gonna get what he wanted.

"Fine," Casey snarled, "I told you about Jade right?"

O'Dell nodded, "Yeah, Luke's cousin right?"

"Yeah, well, I think I may have made a big mistake," Casey said, "We both got wrecked one night and we…" Casey made the universal hand sign for sex.

"And how's that a problem?" O'Dell inquired.

"I don't have any feelings for her that way." Casey said, taking a deep breath.

"Okay, so it was a one night thing," O'Dell said, "if you two can forget about it, I don't see a problem."

Casey looked up at O'Dell, "There's the problem, she still wants me and I want Al…" He paused, "I want someone else. Top it all off, I have to work with her on my whole community service thing."

"And you can't just find something else?" The African-American asked.

"No, my grandpa's the chief of staff at the hospital." began Casey.

"Oh, I know," interrupted O'Dell, "I've lived in this town for 30 years, I know who's who."

"Anyways, he wants to help and I really don't want to disappoint him." Casey concluded.

"And?" O'Dell prodded.

Casey looked at Seth's other godfather, "And what?"

"I bet you wanna be around the hospital so you can be with Alison." O'Dell said in a rather simple manner.

"That is not one of the reasons," Casey quickly said, "I'm not that romantic."

O'Dell smirked, "That's not what I've been told."

"Does Seth tell you everything?"

"You know, you are the second person to ask me that question?" The old man asked, "The answer is yes, but when he's concerned about his friends."

"Why's he concerned about this?" Casey inquired.

"Well, in this case, he's not," corrected O'Dell, "When you two are here with Seth, I've seen the way you look at Alison, like she's the only girl in the room. The way you knock yourself out to make her laugh. The way you surprise her every now and then. I'm just saying that, contrary to what you may think, you deserve her."

"Whatever." Casey mumbled, trying his best to ignore O'Dell, who vanished from behind the bar and into the back room.

Casey was tempted to reach over the bar and just steal the beer, but soon realized that that would only land him back in jail. Wouldn't that prove them all wrong about who deserved what? He shook his head; there were always other alternatives to that besides prison.

"I don't wanna go back there again." He muttered to himself.

Casey surveyed the room, not too crowded tonight. And, despite the fact it was karaoke night, no Seth in sight. Maybe that was for the best; Casey probably would've just beaten him up for telling other people his business and that would've have landed him back in the pokey.

Casey shuttered at that thought turning away to look at the stage, which was currently occupied by a young couple who were singing to each other. Casey watched the scene unfold, unconsciously moving toward the stage. The song ended and Mick Martin, the man that ran the machine grabbed his mike and shouted out to the onlookers,

"That was Peyton and Lyle, everyone," He said, getting a scant appaulse from the people who, like Casey, were paying attention to the stage, "Come on up, don't be shy, we've got the greatest variety of songs that rank amateurs can butcher."

O'Dell made a cutting motion at Mick, signaling for him to shut the hell up. Mick rolled his eyes,

"So, come on up," He said, his voice putting on an air of false enthusiasm, "Sing, sing, and be merry."

Mick looked up at O'Dell and mouthed, "I hate saying that damn thing", and got the "tough shit" look from his boss. Casey watched the non-verbal exchange between the two before taking a chance and walking onto the stage.

"What'd you want?" Mick asked.

"Just play anything," Casey said, "So I can get this over with."

"They always say that," Mick muttered, "Seth may be an absolute idiot, but, at least, he knows what song he wants every time he comes up here."

Mick searched the selections and pressed play, getting a somber, something that really fit Casey's mood. The beautiful, mournful sounds of Morrissey filled the club and brought a bittersweet smile to Casey's face, he always loved Morrissey and he definitely felt the same sad bastard feeling that Morrissey always conveyed in his music. Stepping up to the microphone, Casey began to sing,

Casey: _There's a place in the sun for anyone who has the will chase one..._

He counted the beats along with the machine before he sang again,

Casey: _And I think I found mine, yes I do believe I have found mine. _

Outside of the bar, Alison was walking toward the entrance. She put her hands on the door and she heard a very familiar voice singing, _  
_

Casey: _So, close your eyes and think of someone you physically admire. And let me kiss you, oh. Let me kiss you, oh.  
_

The young woman entered the club, following the sound of Casey's half-decent baritone and the poetry of the Shakespeare of this Century,

Casey: _I zigzagged all over America and I cannot find a safety heaven._

He looked up and saw Alison standing at the entrance. His voice cracked a little when he and Alison made eye contact,

Casey: _Say, would you let me cry on your shoulder, I've heard that you'd try anything twice.  
_

Casey unfastened the mike and began to sing with a little extra intensity,

Casey: _Close your eyes and think of someone you physically admire. And let me kiss you, oh. Let me kiss you, oh._

Alison propped herself against the doorway, watching Casey count the beats all the while checking to see if she was still watching him,

Casey: _But then you open your eyes and you see someone that you physically despise, but my heart is open...My heart is open to you._

The music ended and Casey got the same scant appaulse that Lyle and Peyton had gotten only minutes before. He took a deep breath and vanished from the stage.

--

Minutes later, he was sneaking out of the backdoor, only to run into the one person he was trying to avoid: Alison.

"That was pretty good." She said, moving her newly grown bangs out of her face.

"Yeah," He said, nervously, "What brought you down here?"

"O'Dell called me up and told me you were pretty depressed." She said, smiling at her friend.

"Of course," Casey groaned, "Him and Seth can't get lives of their own so they have to spend their days…"

Casey was cut off by Alison, who kissed him. At first, Casey wasn't sure what to do, but soon was kissing Alison was back. He practically pinned her against the wall, her hands running up his back.

"Do you wanna go back to my apartment?" Alison whispered.

Casey looked at her, examining her face, "Are you sure?"

"Maybe I'm tired of overanalyzing things," She said, "Will you let me kiss you with my eyes open?"

Casey smiled, sliding his hand into hers and letting her lead back to her apartment.

--

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I beginning to feel a little more comfy writing Casey/Alison stories and I think this one is better than the first one I wrote.


	11. My Secret Love

Disclaimer: I do not own this song or the characters featured in this fic except for, of course, the original characters.

A/N: This takes place sometime when Luke and Noah are in their mid to late 20s. I listened to Doris Day and I got to thinking about what the song could be about. Then I thought about her movies with Rock Hudson and I couldn't resist.

--

Luke Snyder raced into the barn, a smile plastered on his face. He spotted his father, Holden, who had just gotten back from his late night ride. Holden directed his horse over to his son.

"Good morning, Dad," Luke said, "Good morning, Dorothy." He said to the horse.

"What's with the smile?" Holden asked, dismounting.

"Do I need a reason to be happy?" Luke countered.

"In this town, yeah." Holden shot back.

Luke thought about what his father had said, "Good point," He said, before practically dancing around the barn.

"Luke, you haven't been visiting that one club outside of town," Holden asked, "You know, the one with the pulsating lights?"

"Dad, I'm not high," Luke said, "I'm just happy."

"I take it your date with Noah went well." Holden, smiling at his third-born.

"Better than well." Luke said, "You know how you said you wanted to take Mom up to Vermont for your 25th anniversary?"

"Yeah," Holden said, "It's all your mother talks about since all you guys moved out."

"Well," Luke said, "You two'll just have to go a little bit earlier."

Holden raised his graying eyebrows, getting a good idea of what Luke was trying to tell him.

The older man smiled, "Okay, son, I know what you want to tell me. Just tell me and quit leaving me in suspense."

"Noah asked me to marry him."

Holden muttered something that sounded like a "hot damn, I was right" under his breath.

"That's great!" The Snyder family patriarch said, throwing his arms around his son.

"I know," Luke said, "God, I've never been so happy."

"I can tell," Holden said, "How did he do it?"

"Actually, Dad, I wanted you and Mom to hear about at the same time." He said.

Holden laughed, "All right. Do you want me to call up Ethan and the girls."

"Don't call 'em tonight, it's too late." Luke said, "You could call Aaron, I'm gonna need my best man to know that I'm getting married."

Holden turned and left the barn, "Do you mind if I call your mother and tell her the good news? She'll want to know all the details."

"Go right ahead. And tell her, I'll tell you both when she gets home tomorrow." Luke said, watching his dad close the barn door.

Luke leapt across the barn, almost causing Dorothy to veer up and knock him down.

"Easy, girl," He said, calming the horse, "I can't believe this. I'm getting married." He said, patting Dorothy's mein.

Luke heard the familiar sounds of instruments playing. He opened the barn doors and saw Jason Connors and The Band standing in the field. They began to play a much-loved classic and Luke, being in such a good mood, couldn't resist the temptation.

He walked into the field and began to sing,

Luke: _Once I had a secret love that lived within the heart of me. _

He looked over at The Band, who had been playing such an intricate role in his life,

Luke: _All too soon my secret love became impatient to be free.  
_

He crossed over to the fields, getting closer to the musicians. Luke turned around, looking up at the sky, the brightest shining on the group,

Luke: _So I told the friendly star, the way that dreamers often do, just how wonderful you are and why I'm so in love with you._

Luke hopped onto the fence that quartered off the field, balancing himself as he sang, belting out the next verse,

Luke: _Now I should it from the highest hills!!! _

He turned and looked back at The Band,

Luke: _Even told the golden daffodils. _

Luke hopped into the fields, the music and his voice melding and growing softer as he sang,

Luke: _At last my heart's an open door and my secret love's no secret anymore._

Harris and Drew began to play their portable drums, allowing the song to have that western movie feel, as Carmen's hands ran across the harp. Luke jumped back onto the fence, belting out again,

Luke: _Now I should it from the highest hills!!!!_

He hopped back onto the other side and moved toward the house,

Luke: _Even told the golden daffodils. _

Luke opened the door of the farmhouse, a smile plastered on his face still,

Luke: _At last my heart's an open door..._

The door began to close as Luke sang the final lyrics of the song,

Luke: _And my secret love's no secret anymore._

Luke closed the door and the lights of the Snyder farmhouse went out for the night.

--

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this. I realized that I've pretty much tortured Nuke for some unknown reason and I wanted them, even if it was one of them, to have a happy tune.


	12. Don't Know Much

Disclaimer: I don't own the show or the song, simply the plot and the original characters.

A/N: This chapter is connected to the 11th chapter and will stay that way until chapter 14.

--

"By the power vested in me, by the state of Vermont, I now pronounce you man and…" Reverend Marshal Koch paused, looking at Noah and Luke, both of whom were nervously waiting for the moment they would legally be declared husband and…

"I'm not sure what to say," The reverend finally said after almost a minute of silence, "This is the first wedding of this kind I've done and I kind of wanna get it right."

"Just say "man and man"!" The voice of Seth said, causing everyone at the altar to jump.

"That sounds silly." The reverend said, refusing to back down from the second groom's best man, "And I will not have this holiest of ceremonies look like a scene from an Adam Sandler movie."

"Ouch!" Noah declared, looking over at the reverend.

Marshal chuckled, "Sorry," He said, "As I was saying, I now pronounce you married, you may kiss the…"

He paused again.

"Just kiss already!" The voice of Luke's little brother, Ethan, sounded off from one of the pews."

"You'd better do it," Marshal said, "Because I think there may be a riot if you don't."

Luke and Noah took his words to heart and shared their first kiss as husband and husband. The people in the church applauded the young couple just as Aaron, Luke's best man, and Seth, tossed veils onto the young couple. The grooms and the crowd laughed as the wedding party exited out of the church.

--

Flashfoward to the wedding reception, the guests had arrived and were ready for the grooms to arrive. Casey Hughes was sitting at the table closest to the wedding party's table. He looked over to his wife, Alison Stewart Hughes, and whispered something in her.

"No, Casey!" She said vehemently.

Casey bounced up and down in his seat, being mimicked by his and Alison's year-old son, Stewart, who was bouncing in his grandma Margo's lap.

"Please!" He pleaded, giving her the old "soulful eyes" routine.

Casey threw himself onto his knees, burying his head in his wife's lap when that didn't work.

"Please! Please! Please!" He begged.

"All right." Alison said, just as Casey pulled his head up, smiling wickedly.

"Mom." Casey said, Margo nodding at his unexpressed question.

Casey sprang to his feet, grabbing Alison by the hand and dragging her onto the stage, pushing the DJ aside. He smiled, taking the microphone.

"Hey, everyone," Casey shouted to the guests, "I hope you're having a good time. Because I got a surprise for the newlyweds."

"I'd keep my pants on if I were you." Ethan quipped.

"Ladies, that's one's still single, if you don't mind bedwetting." Casey shot back.

The crowd laughed, before Casey returned to his original point.

"Anyways, me and my lovely wife are going to be the singing the song for the grooms' first dance together."

"And that's a surprise?" Daniel Hughes launched at his brother.

"And ladies, that one cries at Bambi," Casey quipped, "No, my big surprise for the grooms is this…"

The backdoors of the reception hall flung open and The Band along with the OC Invasion raced into the room, brandishing more classical instruments. The crowd applauded for the two bands, who were, at last, working together. The bands began to play as the wedding party darted into the room, dancing to the music.

Luke and Noah were the last to enter, dancing to the music in a rather silly manner. The two stopped dancing when the musical groups began to play a slower and more melodic tune.

Casey handed a spare mike to Alison and began to sing,

Casey: _Look at this face; I know the years are showing._

Casey continued to sing, watching the young couple dance across the cleared dancing floor, moving like a couple from a movie in the 1940s,

Casey: _Look at this life; I still don't know where it's going.  
_

Noah pulled Luke closer, Casey's voice filling the room,

Casey: _I don't know much, but I know I love you. And that may be all I need to know._

Alison smiled at her husband and raised the mike to her lips, singing with him,

Alison: _Look at these eyes, they never see what matters. Look at these dreams, so beaten and so battered._

Casey wrapped his arm around his wife,

Casey: _I don't know much,_

The two sang together, turning their attention to the newlyweds,

Casey and Alison: _But I know I love you. And that may be all I need to know. _

Casey stepped across the stage, giving the duo a "thumbs up" as they passed by the singers. They shook his hand,

Casey: _So many questions still left unanswered. So much I've never broken through._

Alison joined her husband, shaking the hands of the newlyweds before hugging them. She sang to them next,

Alison: _And when I feel you near me, sometimes I see so clearly._

The duo watched the couple dance off, singing together and matching up with their dance moves,

Casey and Alison: _The only truth I've ever known is me and you._

The Band and OC Invasion played a brief melody, giving Luke a chance to twirl Noah and pull him closer to his body. Casey was soon singing again,

Casey: _Look at this man, so blessed with inspiration._

Alison joined with him again,

Casey and Alison: _Look at his soul,_

Casey took a solo,

Casey: _Still searching for salvation._

The grooms were finishing their first dance as a married couple as Casey and Alison continued to sing,

Casey and Alison: _I don't know much, but I know I love you. And that may be all I need to know.  
_

The bands finished up the music as Casey and Alison came to the end of the song,

Casey and Alison: _I don't know much, but I know I love you. And that may be all I need to know._

Luke and Noah kissed as Casey and Alison finished their final verse,

Casey and Alison: _I don't know much, but I know I love you. And that may be all there is to know._

--

A/N: Well, I hope that you're enjoying this little four-part story.


	13. True Colors

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this chapter, save for my own characters.

--

Noah kissed Luke on the cheek and raced toward the stage. Casey and Alison hopped off to give the second groom room. He smiled at the two,

"Case, Ali, thanks a lot," He said, "I don't know what you had to do to get these guys to play at the wedding."

"You don't wanna know." Casey said.

"And I did all the heavy lifting." Alison crowed.

Noah rolled his eyes at the other married couple, "Anyways, Casey and Alison gave me a little inspiration. I wanna dedicate this song to my husband, Luke. It's a song he and I like to consider our song."

He whispered something into the respective leader of each band, Jason Connors and Powell Lord (named after the OLTL character but not the same character), who both smiled and began to play a slow, melodic tune. Luke smiled at Noah, trying his best not to cry.

"Come on, everyone, get on the dance floor," Noah said, "This is for all the happy couples."

He watched all the couples, Holden and Lily, Casey and Alison, Seth and Maddie, Samuel and Emily, Will and Gwen, and Tom and Margo, take the dance floor. Noah mouthed an "I love you" to Luke before he began to sing,

Noah: _You with the sad eyes, don't be discouraged, oh I realize it's hard to take courage. _

Noah winked at Luke and then looked over at the dancing couples, each one as happy as he was at this moment,

Noah: _In a world full of people, you can lose sight of it all and the darkness inside you can make you feel so small._

The Band and OC Invasion had returned to their more traditional instruments for this song, their music blending with Noah's voice as he removed the microphone from it's stand, moving around the small stage, singing as he did,

Noah: _But I see your true colors shining through, I see your true colors and that's why I love you. _

Luke moved through the crowd of slow-dancing couples, watching Noah singing,

Noah: _So don't be afraid to let them show, your true colors, true colors are beautiful, like a rainbow.  
_

The bands played a brief solo, giving Noah a chance to drop to his knees and kiss Luke, who had gotten closer to the stage. Noah helped his husband onto the stage, handing him the mike. Luke began to sing,

Luke: _Show me a smile then, don't be unhappy, can't remember when I last saw you laughing. _

Noah took back the mike and the duo began to sing together,

Noah and Luke: _If this world makes you crazy and you've taken all you can bear, just call me up cause you know I'll be there._

The couple began to sing again,  
_  
_Noah and Luke: _And I'll see your true colors shining through, I see your true colors and that's why I love you. __So don't be afraid to let them show, your true colors, true colors are beautiful, like a rainbow._

The music began to fade out as the young couple kissed again.

--

A/N: Hope you enjoy this chapter as well. I have one more to go before this thread is done.


	14. As Time Goes By

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this chapter save for my own characters and the plot.

--

The Snyder-Mayer wedding reception was finally reaching its end. The newlyweds and the guests had vanished from sight. The hall was being cleared for the next event. Seth was one of the one people left, with the exception of The Band, who were playing a medley of songs for his entertainment.

"Do you know what the one song from Breakfast at Tiffany's?" He asked.

"Moon River?" Jason inquired.

Seth jumped out of his chair "Yeah, that's the one. Just spruce it up a little bit with a couple of songs from classic movies, I wanna surprise Maddie with it."

"Nothing you do surprises me anymore." A new, more feminine voice interjected.

Seth jumped into the air, hoping that he would it one of the tables. That was, unfortunately, a pipe dream and he landed, butt-first, on the table, the edge catching him around the tailbone. Maddie cringed as he fell onto the floor, clutching his read end.

"Are you okay?" She asked, crouching down to check on him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, "Where's Matthew?"

"He wanted to stay with Pappy Sam and Gamma Emmy." Maddie said, "And who am I to deny that boy?"

"I just hope my dad and Emily can handle him," Seth said, "We can barely keep up with him."

"If your dad can handle Ryan now, he can handle the boy." reassured Maddie.

"Does that mean that we have the room all to ourselves?" He inquired, his eyebrows dancing for joy.

"That's right." She said, slithering onto her fallen husband and kissing him.

"Hey!" They heard a voice shout.

The young couple turned to see Drew Snyder of The Band, standing over them.

"Get a room." He commanded.

"Last time I checked this was a room." Seth quipped.

Seth motioned to The Band, causing Drew to run back to his position. The group began to play a soft, melodic tune.

"How about a little mood music?" Seth asked.

Maddie helped Seth to his feet and he began to sing,

Seth: _This day and age we're living in gives cause for apprehension with speed and new invention and things like fourth dimension._

Maddie began to sing, giggling at Seth's choice of words,

Maddie: _Yet we get a trifle weary with Mr. Einstein's theory, so we must get down to earth at times, relax, relieve the tension._

He twirled her onto the dance floor and the young couple began to dance around, finally having the floor to themselves. Seth let go of Maddie and began to dance around his wife, singing,

Seth: _And no matter what the progress…_

Maddie stopped him mid-step,

Maddie: _Or what may yet be proved…_

Seth took her hand and pulled her closer,

Seth: _The simple facts of life are such…_

They couple sang softly to each other,

Seth and Maddie: _They cannot be removed._

Seth kissed her on the cheek, releasing Maddie from his grip, and singing to her,

Seth: _You must remember this, a kiss is still a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh. The fundamental things apply as time goes by._

She ran her hand down his chest, singing back to him,

Maddie: _And when two lovers woo they still say, I love you, on this you can rely. No matter what the future brings as time goes by._

They danced around the floor, trying not trip as he did,

Seth: _Moonlight and love songs, never out of date. Hearts full of passion, jealousy and hate._

She finger-poked him and sang,

Maddie: _Woman needs man and man must have his mate that no one can deny._

Seth: This song would really be inappropriate for a gay wedding…

Maddie slapped him on the chest playfully,

Seth: _It's still the same old story, a fight for love and glory, a case of do or die._

The two began to twirl around the floor as Maddie sang,

Maddie: _The world will always welcome lovers…_

Their voices melded together again,

Seth and Maddie: _As time goes by._

The Band began play a brief interlude, allowing the couple to dance for a while,

Maddie: _Moonlight and love songs, never out of date…_

Seth: _Hearts full of passion, jealousy and hate…_

Maddie pointed to Seth

Maddie: _Woman needs man…_

Seth chuckled and took her hand again,

Seth: _And man must have his mate…_

The Band's instruments quieted long enough to here them belt their next words,

Seth and Maddie: _That no one can deny._

Seth wrapped his arms around Maddie and sang in her ear,

Seth: _It's still the same old story, a fight for love and glory,_

She started to kiss him on the neck before she sang,

Maddie: _A case of do or die…_

The young couple sang out the last words of the song,

Seth and Maddie: _The world will always welcome lovers as time goes by._

Seth scooped Maddie up, bridal-style. He wanted to ask if Noah would be doing this for Luke since he was taller but decided to ask later. They darted through the reception, Maddie's echoing through the room,

Maddie: _Time goes by…_

Jason and the others finished the musical part of the song. The Band's leader smiled at the sight of the love that filled the room only moments before turning his attention to his wife, Carmen Mendoza Connors, and joining her as the group began to put their instruments away to wait before Luke, Noah, and the others needed them again.

--

A/N: Well, that was the end of the wedding thread. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well despite the lack of Nuke. I really just wanted to give a sort of vignette feel in case I write the wedding fanfiction. I didn't want to show the whole thing for that reason. But, if I don't write the whole story, I wanted to give my readers a look at what I think the Nuke wedding could sort of look like.


	15. Back To Saigon

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this chapter, only the OCs featured in this chapter.

A/N: I decided to have another chapter set in Saigon and get a look into Seth's mind along with his dreams of the future for himself and Luke.

--

Seth crossed through the streets of Saigon, glad that there was a lull in the terror that was almost daily for the people of the city.

"Luke, I'm picturing it now," The sleazy part-time pimp said, "With your voice and my business know-how, we can take the music world by storm."

"You've been saying that for two years." Luke replied.

"You've gotta think big and start small, Luke, my boy." Seth said.

"And whoring myself out to honry GIs' is is strarting small?" Luke asked, a flicker of sarcasm in his voice.

Seth shrugged, "It's how Joan Baez got her start. Besides, once I'm able to file for your work visa, we'll be out of this craphole town and, while you're trying to get in the pants of Jim Nabors, I'm gonna be wining and dining with Talia Shire and Andy Willaims"

Seth jumped into the air, excitedly, landing safely, much to his surprise, in a nearby chair. Luke smiled, sitting down next to Seth.

"It sounds a beautiful life," Luke said, "Who's Jim Nabors?"

"Buddy, you've got a lot to learn about my home," Seth said, laughing, "Look around, look at all these people."

Luke looked around the street they were on, the people were going about their business, working, talking, generally having a pleasant day.

"That is America," Seth said, "But without the poverty and the constant threat of bombings."

Seth popped out of his chair, slid across the ground, and seemed to glide onto the street. The sounds of street musicians filled the air. Seth jumped into the square and began to sing,

Seth: _What's that I smell in the air, the American dream. _

He jumped forward, looking at the few building that remained, creating an image of oppulant mansions for Luke,

Seth: _Sweet as a suite in Belair, the American dream.  
_

Seth whipped around and began to follow a group of young women, his hands outstreched as if trying to grab their breasts,

Seth: _Girls can buy tits by the pair, the American dream. _

He hopped onto a vendor's wooden station, drumming on the old man's bald head,

Seth: _Bald people think they'll grow hair, the American dream.  
_

Seth jumped in front of Luke, his hips giving his legs sideways momentum as he continued to dance. He pointed to his friend/client,

Seth: _Call girls are lining Times Square, the American dream._

He slid across the ground, stopping at a wall where a homeless man sat, a bowl in his hands. Seth dropped a buck into the bowl before kipping up and pointing to the man,

Seth: _Bums there have money to spare, the American dream._

Seth dodged a fast-moving jeep,

Seth: _Cars that have bars take you there, the American dream. _

He did a dance reminiscent of Fred Astaire in_ Royal Wedding, _

Seth: _On stage each night Fred Astaire, the American dream.  
_

Seth moved around a group of young men, stealing something from their carrier bags. He shook a bottle of what looked like muscatel,

Seth: _Schlitz down the drain. _

He popped the cork on the muscatel bottle, showering himself in the liqour,

Seth: _Pop the champagne. It's time we all entertain, my American dream._

Then, as if by magic, the street was soon filled by a chorus line: the men dressed as Elvis and the women as Marilyn Monroe. Seth darted in between the line, joining their overly complex that, quite frankly, I'm too lazy to describe. They soon began to sing in place of Seth, _  
_  
Company: _Come ev'ryone come and share the American dream.  
_

Seth watched in an almost speechless stupor as the sight of a Cadillac appeared in the street,

Company: _Name what you want and it's there, the American dream._

Seth: (in almost orgasmic joy.) Oh, thank you!!!

Company: _What other place can compare the American dream._

Seth: Oh, thank you, America!!!

Company: _Come and get more than your share, the American dream._

As they sang this, Seth hopped onto the hood and began to thrust his pelvis on the hood, symbolically making love to his American dream. When the chorus stopped sing, he was pulled back into this sub-reality and he sang,

Seth: _There I will crown Miss Chinatown. All yours for ten percent down._

This gave everyone the cue to sing out,

All: _The American dream._

Seth laughed manically, kissing a 100 dollar bill before fixing his hair (which had been messed in during his and his car's happy time). The fantasy, however, was interuppted by the sounds of gunfire in the distance. Seth grabbed Luke and the two rushed into the casino to escape the fighting.

--

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed. This was probably the second most fun chapter to write out of all the chapters in this disjointed little tale.


	16. If You Were Wondering

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. The characters belong to CBS, the song belongs to the late Peter Allen, and the scene belongs to the late Nick Enright and the very much alive Martin Sherman who wrote the musical, The Boy from Oz.

A/N: Takes place in another alternate reality. Luke is a flamboyant cabaret performer in the 1970s and Noah is the easily annoyed interior designer employed by Luke to decorate his New York City penthouse.

--

Noah Mayer stood inside the closet (no jokes, people) of Luke Snyder, a man who claimed to be famous, although Noah had never heard of him, and sighed. The irritating, although attractive, blond was humming his scales, a few of which he was having trouble hitting. On top of that, Noah's concentration was being broken up constantly by the sound of Luke playing the piano. It needed a serious tuning, but Luke wouldn't listen to his friends when they said it did.

In his own words, "My music is suppose to outshine the instrument."

A valid, but very stupid point.

Noah was not, by nature, a man to put up with something like this for very long, but it was a very cushy job and he didn't want to lose it.

--

In the living room of the penthouse, Luke was busy pulling strings out of the piano, hoping to get Noah's attention. He darted back to his stool as he heard Noah walking into the living room.

"Mr. Snyder." Noah said, trying his best to be cordial.

"Luke, I told you to call me Luke," The young performer said, "Mr. Snyder makes me sound like my father."

"All right," a clearly frustrated Noah said, "Luke, I need a little less quiet when I'm working. I don't want to make a mistake."

"I don't think you could do that," Luke said, smiling flirtatiously, "You seem competent enough to get the job done no what the distraction. I, on the other hand, need to rehearse for my act."

"I've seen that act." Noah said.

"And what did you think of it?" Luke asked, sliding to the edge of the piano stool.

"It needs a lot of work," Noah said, "Your jokes stink, your interactions with the crowd could use some work, and the songs, they need to go."

"Really?" Luke pushed, popping to his feet.

"Yeah," An assertive Noah stated, "It's like you're afraid to be honest with the your audience. You're not showing them who you really are."

Suddenly, the penthouse filled with music. Noah turned around and a group of musicians standing in the living room.

"Who are these guys?" Noah asked, a look of confusion on his face.

"It's best not to ask questions," Luke said, "You said I'm afraid to show my crowd who I am, I'm not afraid to show that to some people."

"Like who?" Noah huffed.

With that, Luke began to sing,

Luke: _If you were wondering who I am, I am a man just like any other man_

Noah snorted at Luke's actions and back to him,

Noah: _Unlike any other man_

Noah turned away from Luke, who sprang up in front of him,

Luke: _If you were wondering who I was, I was a boy_

Noah rolled his eyes,

Noah: Let me guess? _Just like any other boy, starting out on some great mystery._

Luke put his arm around Noah, giving a sort imaginary tour of his world,

Luke: _On the road, when I had no choice, I waited out a century. I took a load until I found my voice, there's nothing wrong with being me._

Noah pulled away from Luke, a cocky smirk having emerged on his face. He looked at the shorter blond and man and said,

Noah: That's questionable.

Luke: (flirtatiously.) Name one thing wrong with me.

Noah thought about it for a moment,

Noah: Your shirt.

Luke's jaw dropped and he shouted,

Luke: What's wrong with my shirt?

Noah raised his hands, motioning for Luke to be quiet, which silenced the younger man,

Noah: In your act.

Luke breathed a sigh of relief,

Noah: Your closet is full of Hawaiian shirts; you should wear those on stage. You gotta have a look.

The blond man smiled smugly and folded his arms,

Luke: Okay, so you don't costumes, you don't like my material. Anything else in my act you don't like?

Noah pursed his lips, thinking a little bit harder before he blurted out these next words,

Noah: The lighting sucks.

Luke glared at the designer and shouted at him,

Luke: I designed it myself!!!

Without missing a beat, Noah quipped,

Noah: That explains a lot

Luke grinned, seeing an opening,

Luke: You wanna redo it for me?

Noah shook his head before speaking again,

Noah: No. I'm just making an observation.

Luke put his arm around Noah again, the grin not going away,

Luke: So you obviously have an eye for this sort of thing

Noah pushed Luke away and put his arms up defensively,

Noah: No, I'm not interested in show business.

Luke moved in closer,

Luke: Hey, hey, hey, everyone is interested in show business.

Noah tried to back away from Luke, accidentally tripping and falling into a chair,

Noah: I have my own career. I don't wanna get dragged into yours

Luke: Not dragging, just pulling an adorable little string…

Luke plopped down into the seat, landing on Noah's lap,

Luke: _If you were wondering who I love, I love you, cause that's all I have to do. _

The older man dumped Luke onto the floor, trying his best to avoid his advances,

Luke: _Cause I'm a man just like any other man unlike any other man…_

Noah grabbed Luke by the collar and kissed him (think about their first kiss). When their lips parted, the two men started to sing again,

Luke and Noah: _Cause I'm a man…Just like any other man unlike any other man! _

The two shared another, more passionate kiss as the musicians left the living, turning out the lights as they did.

--

A/N: I'll let you imagination run wild with what they did. I had a pretty easy time writing this since I actually had a template to work off of.


	17. Who Wants to Live Forever

Disclaimer: I do not own this song or these characters. They belong to Queen and CBS. The character of Loah belongs to Nukeluvr318, check out her story, New Boy in Town. It's a pretty good read.

A/N: I'm back to Nuke torture everyone. You knew the happiness couldn't last forever. But, as Elton John once said, "Sad songs say so much", and I hope this chapter says the same.

--

Luke Snyder-Mayer dragged his feet into his bedroom, loosing the tie around his neck. He sat down on his bed, kicking his shoes and laying back. He turned his head to other side of the bed, it was empty but the indentation that Noah had left was still there.

Luke removed his glasses to rub the tears forming in his eyes. He was roused from his own grief when he heard someone knocking on the door; it was his and Noah's daughter, Loah Snyder-Mayer O'Donnel. Her bright blue eyes were even more pronounced as they were filling with tears.

"Hey there, sweetie," He said, sitting up, "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Please, Dad, I'm pregnant, not an invalid." Loah said, walking toward and sitting next to him, "Besides, I thought you'd need someone's shoulder."

"I'm fine." Luke said.

"You've been saying that since we got the news." The young woman said.

Luke sighed and got off of the bed, "Because I am fine."

"I don't think you are, Daddy," Loah said, "You've been so busy with making the funeral arrangements, the farm, the foundation, the new house, prying Seth off the casket, I don't think you've had enough time for yourself to cry and really say good-bye to Dad."

Luke opened his mouth to say something, but stop before he could speak, "I said my goodbyes to him in the hospital," He finally said, "Besides, he wouldn't want me to cry. Not when I have something like this," He continued, gesturing to his daughter's swelling stomach, "to be happy about."

Loah put her hands out, which Luke knew meant, "A little help for the walking house" (Every pregnant woman I've ever known words, not mine), and he helped her to her feet. Loah threw her arms around her father, hugging him tightly. Luke hugged her back, grunting when he felt the foot of his grandson or granddaughter kicked him in the gut.

"I think this kid's been watching his great-grandma Lily's Tae Bo videos in there." Luke said, getting a playful slap from Loah, who turned and started to leave the room.

"Daddy," She said, her voice transforming from the confident young woman she had grown up to be to the scared 10 year old he and Noah had adopted almost 20 years ago, "You're not alone. You have an entire family who loves you."

"I know, sweetie." Luke said, smiling and nodding at his daughter.

"I better get back downstairs," She said, walking down the hall, "Sam's gonna need me to ward off the con-artists in residence."

"Hard to believe Stewart wants to be like Ryan." Luke said, chuckling.

"Hard to believe anyone wants to be like Ryan." Loah quipped before vanishing down the hall.

--

Luke surveyed the empty corridors the house he and Noah were building for their ever-growing family. His hands caressing the smooth mahogany walls, the ones Noah had not only picked out but also put up himself.

Luke rounded the corner, stopping at the main dining room. He looked over at the piano that Noah, Lily, and Seth had insisted they buy. Luke slowly walked toward the instrument and sat down, his fingers playing a few keys, before he heard the sounds of an organ playing. He looked around, looking up to the roof of the dining room, which housed the stairway to the second floor. An almost ethereal light seemed to reflect off of the brass banisters.

Luke stepped away from the piano and approached the stairway, the light growing brighter and brighter as he did. He looked up the stairway and saw nothing but the light when a voice, a voice he knew intimately, began to sing:

Noah's Voice: _There's no time for us, there's no place for us. _

Noah's form appeared on the top of the stairs, the light giving him angel wings. He continued to sing as he walked down the steps,

Noah: _What is this thing that builds our dreams, yet slips away from us.  
_

An invisible choir began to harmonize as Noah sang, stopping in the middle of the staircase,

Noah: _Who wants to live forever? Who wants to live forever? Oh ooo oh_

Luke began to ascend the staircase, singing the next verse of the song,

Luke: _There's no chance for us, it's all decided for us. This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us.  
_

He and Noah stopped halfway toward the middle of the stairs, as Luke sang,

Luke: _Who wants to live forever? Who wants to live forever? Ooh. Who dares to love forever? _

Noah threw his head, belting out the next verse,

Noah: _Oh oo woh, when love must die!!!!!_

The music changed from organ to electric guitar and, although there was nothing said between the two men, their eyes spoke for them. The music picked up pace again as Luke sang, moving toward Noah again,

Luke: _But touch my tears with your lips!_

Noah started walking again, singing out to Luke,

Noah: _Touch my world with your fingertips!!!!!_

The two picked up pace and ran into each others' arms, belting out the next words of their swan song,

Noah and Luke: _And we can have forever, and we can love forever!!!!_

Noah pulled back and sang out,

Noah: _Forever is our today!!!!_

The choir harmonizing, The Band playing, the two lovers singing filled the house,

Noah and Luke: _Who wants to live forever? Who wants to live forever?_

Noah pulled Luke closer, singing,

Noah: _Forever is our today!!!_

Luke moved in for one last kiss, only to have Noah, along with everything else in the house, vanish. He collapsed onto the steps, tears welling up in his eyes. Luke ran his hands through his graying hair and sang the final line of the song,

Luke: _Who waits forever anyway?_

With no family around to be strong for, with no one but himself and his memories, Luke put his face in his hands and cried harder than he had in years.

--  
A/N: Please don't kill me for killing Noah. The cycle of death must not continue! I hope you enjoyed the Nuke torture, I know I did. Just kidding, I don't to torture them, I'm like the Joker, I just do for no reason. Nukeluvr318, I hope you don't mind that Loah was pregnant in this chapter. I just wanted to give Luke something else to live for.


	18. Right Here, Right Now

Disclaimer: I do not own this song or a couple of these characters. I own the OC Invasion and that's about it.

A/N: Takes place shortly after Alison's graduation from nursing school and Casey's admission that he loved her. I just decided to add my little twist; although there's very little about that scene I would change, except there would be more of it.

--

Casey Hughes and Alison Stewart crossed through the more posh section of Oldtown, a spring in Ali's step that had not been seen since she was a young girl. Casey raced to catch up with her, watching as she sprang onto a wishing fountain. Alison accidentally kicked off one of her shoes before losing her balance. Casey, with almost superhuman speed, caught her before she hit the ground.

"Watch it, Cher." He quipped, getting an odd look from Alison, who simply looked up to see that the fountain was shooting water in the air in manner not unlike the fountain in _Moonstruck_.

"Obscure reference there, Hughes." Alison said, a flirtatious smile on her face.

Casey shrugged at that comment, "Well, I guess dating Maddie taught me something."

"I think it taught you a whole lot," She said, swinging herself back to her feet, "It taught you what not to do the next time around. Just like Aaron taught me what not to do."

She stepped down from the fountain, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend.

"Oh God, I can't believe that," Alison paused, as if looking for the right words, "That everything is going so well. I'm talking to my mom and Emily again. I am now officially out of nursing school. And I have the best boyfriend in the world."

"Who?" Casey said, his head springing off of her shoulders.

"Who do you think, goofball? You!" She said.

"Good, cause I thought I was gonna have to kick someone's ass." Casey stated.

Alison laughed at her boyfriend's statement. His hand slid down her side, joining with hers, and they continued their walk down the streets.

--

The young couple walked down the street, completely forgetting that Casey had driven them to the graduation ceremony. Casey's ears perked up when he heard a guitar playing somewhere in the area. He turned his head to see Powell Lord of the OC Invasion standing behind them, guitar in hand. Casey began to hum to the beat in Alison's ear,

Casey: _Hmm, yea...Hey yea..._

He stopped walking, Alison stopping only seconds later when she saw Jax and Devlin standing in front of her. She turned to find Casey as he sang,

Casey: _Can you imagine what could happen if we could have any dream? _

Casey moved closer to his girlfriend, a smile on his lips,

Casey: _I'd_ _wish this moment was ours to own it and that it would never leave._

He pulled closer, almost as if he was asking her to dance on the sidewalk,

Casey: _Then I would thank a star that made our wish come true..._ _  
_

Alison began to harmonize with the music, singing to Casey,

Alison: _Come true..._

Casey sang his solo again.

Casey: _Oh yeah, cause he knows that where you are is where I should be too..._

The OC Invasion began to jam, their instruments playing so loudly, they made everyone in the street jump. Casey stepped away from Ali, his voice grew stronger and more confident as he sang,

Casey:_ Right here, right now_, _I'm looking at you and my heart loves the view_ _cause you mean everything!__  
_

He turned back to her,

Casey: _Right here, I'll promise you somehow that tomorrow can wait for some other day to be..._

Alison sang with him,

Alison: _To be.._

The couple's hands locked up and they spun around the sidewalk,

Casey and Alison: _But right now there's you and me._

On those words, Casey released Alison, who spun with the grace of a primaballerina. She stopped and looked back at her boyfriend, singing to him,

Alison: _If this was forever what could be better? We already proved it was. _

Casey took her hand again and the two cut their best impression of Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze,

Alison: _But in 2,123 hours...  
_

The duo sang out together, their voices blending well with the other band,

Casey and Alison: _A bend in the universe...  
_

Alison began to sing solo again, her's and Casey's voices alternating when each other's line ended,

Alison: _Is gonna make you everything..._

Casey: _Everything...  
_  
Alison: _In our whole world change..._

Casey: _It's our change, yeah..._

Alison: _And you know that where we are..._

Casey: _Where we are..._

Casey and Alison: _Will never be the same._

Casey: _Oh no!_

Alison: _Oh no!_

The two belted out the beginning of the chorus,

Casey and Alison: _Right here, right now..._

Casey:_ Right now..._

Alison took her solo, Casey's voice never far behind,

Alison: _I'm looking at you and my heart loves the view_ _cause you mean everything._

Casey:_ Everything!!!_

Alison: _Right here..._

Casey: _Right here..._

Alison: _I promise you somehow..._

Casey: _Somehow we're gonna_...

Alison: _That tomorrow can wait for some other day to be..._

Casey: _To be..._

Their voices joined once more,

Casey and Alison: _But right now there's you and me!!!_

They continued their tradition of one taking the lead and the other always there to back them up,

Alison: _Oh we know its coming_...

Casey: _Coming..._

Alison: _And it's coming fast._

Casey: _As long when there's you and me!_

Alison: _Oh yeah..._

Casey: _So let's make the second last..._

Casey and Alison: _Make it last!_

The music slowed as Casey sang out, voice almost blew everyone away with it's power and restraint,

Casey: _Right here!_

Alison harmonized before singing to him,

Alison: _Oh right now!_

Casey: _Yeah, I'm looking at you..._

Alison: _And my heart loves the view..._

Casey and Alison: _Cause you mean everything!!! _

The music picked up to the faster and more exciting beat as the couple sang again,

Casey and Alison: _Right here, I promise you somehow..._

Casey: _That tomorrow can wait..._

Alison: _For some other day to be_...

Casey: _To be..._

Casey and Alison: _But right now there's_...

Alison stopped Casey and sang,

Alison: _You and me!_

Casey pulled out an impressive falseto for his solo,

Casey: _You and me!_

Alison moved in closer,

Alison: _Ohh you and me!_

Casey copied her actions,

Casey and Alison: _But right now there's you and… me!_

The singing couple kissed again, this kiss having more passion than before. It was interuppted when they heard the sounds of the other people on the street. Casey began to bow dramatically,

"Thank you, thank you very much," Casey said, his voice affecting a really bad Shrek impression, "I'm here till Thursday. Try the veal."

Alison grabbed him by his ear and dragged him away from the crowd.

"We can't go anywhere, can we?" She asked, trying her best not to laugh at Casey's goofball-ishness.

"You can be as embarrissing too," Casey said, "All you need is a little courwage."

"Okay, the Cowardly Lion impression was cute once."

"Then how bout the Tin Man?"

"Oh." Alison groaned.

"The Wizard?" He asked, following after her, "The Scarecrow? C'mon, Ali, throw a guy a freakin' bone!"

--

A/N: I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, I'm not to confident about it but I think it works. I was originally going to give it to Seth and Maddie but then I thought, "Hey, I haven't used Casey and Ali for a while and, since they gave me a scene to work with, I can use it to my advantage." I just hope you all enjoy. Remember they're only two chapters left.


	19. You Can't Stop The Beat

Disclaimer: I do not own the song or the characters, except for Seth and the other OCs. They belong to the creators of Hairspray and CBS.

--

The stage lights came up and a short young man with brown hair and wearing body armor entered.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we're approaching the end of the tale," He said, a smile appearing on his face, "I just wanted to thank all the people who have read this story, even if you didn't review, I seen the hit count and there is over a thousand hits. So, on behalf of myself, the Soulless Warlock, and the cast of this story, I want to say thank you and…"

"Hold on a second, SW!" A familiar female voice shouted, "We're not done yet!"

The Band and OC Invasion appeared on the stage, the lights growing brighter to accommodate them, their melody even more fast paced and light than before. Maddie appeared on the stage.

"We still have one more song in us!" She declared.

Soulless Warlock shrugged and stepped aside, shouting, "Readers on , the wonderful, and never to be counted-out, Maddie Coleman!"

Maddie took center stage and began to sing,

Maddie: _You can't stop an avalanche as it races down the hill. _

She motioned off-stage for someone to join her,

Maddie: _You can try to stop the seasons, girl, but ya know you never will. _

Maddie paused her movements for a second before dancing again, with even more energy,

Maddie: _And you can try to stop my dancin' feet, but I just cannot stand still. Cause the world keeps spinnin' round and round. _

She moved in closer to off stage, still motioning for that same person, who seemed to want to wait for the right time. Maddie returned to her dance, singing with gusto,

Maddie: _And my heart's keeping time to the speed of sound. I was lost till I heard the drums then I found my way._

Seth suddenly darted out on stage, causing Maddie to spin off cue. He caught her, which stopped her before they started to dance again, singing as they did,

Maddie and Seth: _Cause you can't stop the beat! Ever since this old world began a woman found out if she shook it she could shake up a man. And so I'm gonna shake and shimmy it the best that I can today. _

_'Cause you cant stop the motion of the ocean or the sun in the sky. You can wonder if you wanna, but I never ask why. And if you try to hold me down. I'm gonna spit in your eye and say that you cant stop the beat!_

The two stopped dancing so they could catch their breath. They watched as Luke and Noah hit the stage, hands linked together. Maddie turned to her friends and shouted,

Maddie: Got anything to say, Luciano!

Luke nodded,

Luke: Yeah, don't call me "Luciano"!

And with that, Luke began to sing,

Luke: _You can't stop a river as it rushes to the sea!_

He turned back to Noah, who joined in, singing,

Noah: _You can try and stop the hands of time, but ya know it just can't be!_

Luke looked out to the crowd, where he saw Kevin Davis and his cohorts, sneering at him and his boyfriend,

Luke: _And if they try to stop us, Noah, _

The fledgling supercouple's voices joined together,

Luke and Noah: _I'll call up GLAAD ASAP!_

Luke began to dance around the stage,

Luke: _Cause the world keeps spinning round and 'round..._

Noah soon followed, trying to catch up with him,

Noah: _Round and round..._

Luke and Noah moved in closer to each other,

Luke: _And my heart's keeping time to the speed of sound..._

They locked hands,

Noah: _Speed of sound..._

The moved in closer,

Luke: _I was lost till I heard the drums then I found my way!!!_

Luke and Noah: _Cause you can't stop the beat…_

Much like Maddie and Seth had done before, Luke and Noah began to dance with the same gusto as the prior couple, singing just as strongly. Seth and Maddie joined them, the two couples laughing as they danced and sang,

Luke and Noah: _Ever since we first saw the light, a man and woman…_

Seth's tilted his head in confusion before he sang,

Seth: _Damn, that doesn't sound right!_

Luke and Noah rolled their eyes before they started to sing again,

Luke and Noah: _And so I'm gonna shake and shimmy it with all my might today. 'Cause you can't stop, the motion of the ocean or the rain from above._

They continued to dance and sing, following the beat of the music,

Luke and Noah: _You can try to stop the paradise we're dreamin' of, but you cannot stop the rhythm of two hearts in love to stay, cause you can't stop the beat!_

Casey wondered onto the stage, a smile plastered on his face. He looked out to the crowd and began to sing,_  
_  
Casey: _You can't stop my happiness cause I like the way I am. And you just can't stop my feet movin' when I see adventure, yeah,_

He began to dance around the stage,

Casey: _So if you don't like the way I act, well, I just don't give a damn!_

The other couples joined up with him, along with the musical groups and a chorus of dancers,

Casey & Ensemble: _Cause the world keeps spinning round and 'round. And my heart's keeping time to the speed of sound, I was lost till I heard the drums then I found my way…_

The whole group on the stage began to sing and dance, their voices stronger as one,

Casey & Ensemble: _'Cause you cant stop the beat…Ever since this old world began, a woman found out if she shook it she could shake up a man. And so I'm gonna shake and shimmy it the best that I can today._

Alison ran out to the stage, grabbing Casey's hands and joining in with the giant song and dance,

Casey, Alison & Ensemble: _Cause you can't stop the motion of the ocean or the sun in the sky. You can wonder if you wanna, but I never ask why, and if you try to hold me down I'm gonna spit in your eye and say that you cant stop the beat!_

Soulless Warlock darted onto the stage, stunned at what the talent had done without his input or advice. He cleared his throat,

Soulless Warlock: C'mon, ladies and germs, vertebrates and invertebrates, it's time to wrap this story up!!!

And, after all this time writing and not participating, began to sing himself,

Soulless Warlock: _Oh, oh, oh, you can't stop tomorrow as it comes speeding down the lane. Child, yesterday is hist'ry and today is looking great._

The ensemble joined in,

Soulless Warlock and Ensemble: _'Cause tomorrow is a brand new day..._

He took the solo,

Soulless Warlock: _And it don't know gay from straight!!!_

Ensemble: _Yeah!_

Soulless Warlock picked up the pace for the chorus,

Soulless Warlock and Ensemble: _'Cause the world keeps spinning 'round and 'round and my heart's keeping time to the speed of sound..._

He danced in between the middle of the stage,

Soulless Warlock: _I was lost till I heard the drums then I found my way... _

Everyone began to sing in unison,

All: _'Cause you cant stop the beat_…_Ever since we first saw the light a man and woman liked to shake it on a Saturday night. And so I'm gonna shake and shimmy it with all my might today…_

_'Cause you can't stop the motion of the ocean or the rain from above they can try to stop this paradise we're dreaming of, but you cannot stop the rhythm of two hearts in love to stay, you can't stop the beat!_

The entire group began to harmonize with the musicians and all the people involved in the story,

All: _Aah, aah, aah…Aah, aah, aah…Aah, aah, aah…_

The company started to sing again,

All: _Ever since we first saw the sun, a man and woman like to shake it when the day is done, but we're gonna shake and shimmy it and have some fun for today! But you cannot stop the rhythm of two hearts in love to stay 'cause you can't stop the beat! _

_Cause you can't stop the motion of the ocean or the rain from above. You can try to stop the paradise we're dreaming of._

Seth spun Maddie around and dipped him, kissing her on the lips,

All: _You can't stop the beat!_

Casey pulled Alison into his arms, kissing her as well,

All: _You can't stop the beat!!_

Soulless Warlock danced down the stage,

All: _You can't stop the beat!!! _

The ensemble split, allowing Luke and Noah to have the spotlight,

All: _You can't stop the beat!!!!_

The music hit its crescendo as Luke and Noah kissed once again, the lights going off and the musicians disappearing along with the writer and the company, singing as they left.

All: _You can't stop the beat!!!!!_

--

A/N: One more chapter to go, everyone!!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	20. In the Still of the Night

Disclaimer: I do not own this song or these characters. The song belongs to Cole Porter, the scene belongs to Irwin Winkler, director of the awesome movie, De-Lovely, and the characters belong to CBS.

--

The stage was bare and Luke realized that Noah was gone. Luke caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror; he was an old man, his face swollen and his hair white. He surveyed the area, looking for his lover. A second light came up and revealed the piano from Chapter 17. Luke walked over to it slowly, taking a seat. He began to play a small, unrecognizable piece, before he began to play a more familiar melody. Luke's voice cracked as he began to sing for the final time,

Luke: _In the still of the night as I gaze out my window... _

The stage began to fill with blown up pictures of Luke and Noah. Their first official date, Noah singing "I Can't Unlove You",

Luke: _At the moon in its flight, my thoughts all stray to you.  
_

The pictures now included: Seth dragging them to a really bad movie, the day they adopted Loah, and Maddie holding baby Matthew. Luke continued to sing, his fingers moving nimbly across the piano keys,

Luke: _In the still of the night, while the world lies in slumber, _

The pictures began to fade into shots of Luke and Noah's wedding photos, Noah and Luke with Loah on her wedding day, Luke and Noah at their 15th anniversary party,

Luke: _Oh the times without number, when I say to you:_

Luke stopped for a moment when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Noah, as young as the day they met. Noah began to sing with Luke,

Luke and Noah: _Do you love me as I love you? _

Noah took a seat next to Luke, who had transformed back into the young man he was when they first met,

Luke and Noah: _Are you my life to be, my dream come true? _

The lights began to fade away, the pictures vanishing but still they continued to sing,

Luke and Noah: _Or will this dream of mine fade way out of sight?_ _Like that moon growing dim on the rim of the hill in the chill, still of the night__._

The light around the piano began to fade; Noah rested his head on Luke's shoulders, the younger man still singing,

Luke: _Like that moon growing dim on the rim of the hill in the chill, still of the night._

And with that, the lights went out for the final time (in this story, at least) on the beloved couple.

--

A/N: Woo, I can't believe I'm done. I never thought I would even get this far. But I did and I am so glad that I did. I hope you've all enjoyed reading this story; I certainly enjoyed writing it because it helped me become a better writer than I was when I started. It also helped me write stories about couples I would not usually write for.

So, now, I can finally say, since I don't believe in goodbyes: Until next time, good night, good luck, good morning, good afternoon and good evening.


End file.
